Clues that your email has been hacked
Scams are on the rise, and thanks to the pandemic and so many of us working from home, more people are falling for phishing attacks and email hacks than ever.
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Just think about how many times a day you open an email from someone you trust and click a link or download an attachment. Every one of those times is a chance for an enterprising cybercriminal to fool you.
If you’re worried your email account may have already been compromised, here are five clues to check for. Plus, I’ll show you four steps you can take to protect yourself.
1.Did you actually change your passwords?
A compromised email account is a golden ticket for any aspiring hacker. Make sure your passwords weren’t changed without your knowledge.
To do this, search your inbox and use terms like “password reset,” “password verification” or “password changed successfully.” Look carefully through the messages that appear, and make note of their date and time.
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If you see recent password changes for accounts you own, you’ll need to reset those passwords. Without doing this, the hacker could simply perform another reset after you’re done
2.Did you actually read those emails?
Email accounts typically let you sort through your messages by read or unread status.
But if a hacker gets into your email address, all bets are off. While they’re rummaging through your emails for personal data, they’re likely to open and close your messages arbitrarily.
Read emails are usually presented in a normal, unbolded format while unread messages are bolded. Check through as many read messages as you can to make sure they don’t contain any personal data.
3. Did you actually log in?
Most email services let you check login activity, including the IP addresses or locations used to access your account. Some even show the browsers or devices used.
To do this in Gmail, open your email account in a browser then scroll to the bottom of your inbox. In the bottom right corner, you’ll see Last account activity, followed by a time. Click Details underneath to see a list of access type (browser, mobile, POP3, etc.), IP address and date and time.
If you see a location or device you don’t recognize, that’s cause for concern.
The next thing you’ll need to look for are login alerts for accounts associated with your email address. Many platforms will automatically send you an email when you log in from a different IP address than normal. This is designed to prevent fraud and alerts you of an unauthorized login.
From your inbox, search for terms like “login,” “logged in” or “signed in.” Leave no stone unturned, and write down anything you find for later. You might need to reset your passwords again or lock them with a system like two-factor authentication. Keep reading for more on that.
Protecting yourself going forward
Now that you know what signs to look for, here’s what you need to do to take action against account intruders.
Set up two-factor authentication to protect yourself
Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, adds an extra layer of security to your email account. Once it’s set up, you’ll get an alert any time someone tries to log in from an unknown device.
To set up 2FA, you’ll need your smartphone on hand. When it’s set up, you’ll get a text message with a code to enter every time you log in. Without the code, you won’t be able to access your email. And if a hacker gains access to your account, they won’t be able to get into it without your phone physically in front of them.
Now, 2FA is by no means mandatory, but we can make the case it should be for email accounts due to the sensitive information they contain
While you’re at it, you should also set up 2FA on any other online accounts you frequently use — including social media. You can’t be too careful.
Verify your recovery email and phone number.
This goes hand-in-hand with setting up 2FA, which requires your phone number to function.
You can set a backup email to reset your password in case you get locked out. We recommend keeping this email hidden from any other platforms; don’t use it to sign up for accounts but keep it as your private backup. It’s not much of a security feature if your recovery email can be compromised, too.
You may have set up account recovery details when you first opened your email account or you skipped out on this step. Tap or click your email service below for instructions.
Keep an eye on your email address
Have I Been Pwned monitors hacker sites and collects new data every five to 10 minutes about the latest data breaches and exposures. This includes your email address, usernames, passwords and other personal information.
Enter your email address and Have I Been Pwned will check to see if it’s been compromised in a data breach. If it has, you’ll see a list of sites that have exposed your data and what exactly was leaked.
You can click Notify me at the top of the page and Have I Been Pwned will alert you if your email address shows up in any list of hacked information going forward.
Bottom line
The bad news is there are a lot of people out there looking to break into your accounts for their own gain. The good news is there are effective steps you can take to protect yourself. Take these steps to lock down your email account, and if nothing else, go change your password.
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Conclusion
This is important because hackers are looking for any point of entry into a larger network, and may gain access through a weak password. On accounts or devices that contain sensitive information, make sure your password is strong, unique—and not easily guessable.
