Hacked Mailbox: How To Know And What To Do?

The mailbox is an essential means of communication, whether privately or in a professional setting. Containing valuable data, it constitutes a perfect target for hackers. By accessing your email account, these malicious people can steal sensitive information to steal your identity, carry out online transactions, or send spam and viruses to your contacts. This can cause severe financial damage. Fortunately, the situation can be remedied. This guide explains the signs of a hacked email box as well as the solutions to apply.

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How To Recognize A Hacked Email Account?

Inaccessibility to your email box is a clear sign that it has been hacked. In fact, your password may have been changed by hackers so that you cannot access your email. In addition to this situation, the presence of questionable emails in your outbox should also alert you. The same applies if you receive emails mentioning the creation of an identifier for online services that you do not know or a request to change your password. Finally, a connection from an unknown IP address reveals the possibility that a hacker can access your account without your knowledge. To find out for sure, you can use the following tools to check if your mailbox has been hacked.

Have I Been Pwned?

Have I been Pwned is an English-speaking website that allows you to detect a data breach for free? The verification procedure involves entering your email address. If it has been the subject of a data leak, you will see the message “Oh no, pwned!” displayed in red. “. Otherwise, the message “Good news – no pwnage found!” » appears in a green banner. The “Notify Me” notification feature also alerts you when your email address is compromised in a data breach.

Avast Hack Check

Leader in cybersecurity, Avast also offers a free solution for checking a hacked email account: Avast hack check. This automatically notifies you by email in the event of a password leak.

Firefox Monitor

Firefox Monitor is the data leak notification service for the Mozilla browser. The verification procedure is simple. Enter your email address on the interface and click on the “Check for Breaches” button. You then obtain a detailed report of data leaks involving your email account.

What to do if your email is hacked?

In case you notice any unusual activities related to your email account, here is how you can resolve the situation.

To Do The Inventory

A complete analysis of the system is necessary to identify the cause(s) of the attack. This involves installing an antivirus that can detect and remove possible malicious programs. You must then change your password after removing the malware to prevent cyber criminals from reaccessing your email account. If no viruses are found, you may be a victim of large-scale data theft or phishing.

Change The Password

If you can still access your email account, remember to change your password as soon as possible. In this regard, choose a complex password. Ideally, 12 characters extended, with a mixture of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, special characters, and numbers. Furthermore, it is strongly recommended to change the password regularly to optimize the security of your mailbox. Using a password manager allows you to have a robust and complex password without having to remember it.

If the attacker has already changed your access, you can report the hack to your email provider and request a password reset. The messaging service will then ask you to answer security questions and provide a secondary email address or even a telephone number. If you answer correctly, you will get a new password that you must change immediately.

Determine The Extent Of The Attack

Once you have regained control of your mailbox, it is necessary to weigh the scale of the attack and collect evidence so as not to be held responsible for the cybercriminal’s actions. Indeed, the latter could have used your account to make purchases or to send spam. In this case, you should immediately notify your contacts before they receive questionable links in your name. Likewise, it is strongly recommended to file a complaint with the police in the event of significant damage. Then, in the event of theft of banking data, it is in your interest to quickly contact your bank so that it can block your card and prevent fraudulent transactions.

Secure Other Web Services

When a hacker hacks your email account, he can quickly attack your associated accounts, such as your pages on social networks, Netflix, etc. It is, therefore, also essential to change the password of these accounts.

How To Protect Yourself Against Email Account Hacking?

To avoid the inconvenience of a computer hack, you must strengthen the level of security of your mailbox. Here are some tips for maximizing the security of your email account.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

To protect yourself in the future, it is essential to secure your account with two-factor authentication. This method adds a level of security to the email box by combining two of the following three forms of authentication:

What we know (password, PIN, security question)
What you are (facial recognition, iris scanning, fingerprint)
What we have (security key, email, mobile phone)

Even if the hacker is able to decrypt the password, there is little chance that they will be able to guess the second authentication factor.

Use VPN Software

Using VPN software is a safe way to strengthen your security on the web. This tool is used to encrypt data and hide the IP address. Thus, it makes sensitive information unreadable and not accessible to hackers. Using a VPN is especially essential when you connect to a public or mobile network. However, it is essential to choose a recognized supplier to guarantee the effectiveness of the services. A VPN equipped with anti-threat protection is particularly recommended to protect against spyware like keyloggers.

Restrict The Number Of Devices Used To Connect

Refrain from logging into your email outside of your workplace or home as much as possible. For good reason, public Wi-Fi networks are more vulnerable to cyberattacks, being rarely well secured. If you find yourself obliged to consult your email, take the precaution of opening it in private browsing.

Do Not Disclose Your Email Address To Anyone

To avoid having your email box hacked, avoid entering your address on any site. Indicate it only to access recognized sites.

Stay Vigilant About Attachments

Hackers often use attachments to transmit computer viruses. This is why it is vital to always scan them with an antivirus before opening them. Be particularly wary of those with the extensions .zip, .exe, .rar, .bat, .vbs.