Your email is the master key to everything — bank resets, social media, work, shopping. If an attacker controls it, they can reach the rest. The good news: there are clear warning signs, and recovery is usually possible if you move quickly.
Warning signs
- Password reset emails you didn't request, or you're suddenly logged out.
- Sent messages or replies you never wrote.
- New filters or forwarding rules quietly sending your mail elsewhere.
- Contacts say they got strange messages from you.
- Unfamiliar devices or locations in your account's security/activity page.
Do these first
- Change your password now from a device you trust — make it long and unique.
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) so a password alone isn't enough.
- Check forwarding and filter rules — attackers hide rules that auto-forward or delete your mail. Remove anything you didn't set.
- Review connected apps and active sessions, and sign out everywhere.
- Update your recovery email and phone to ones only you control.
What not to do
- Don't ignore a single unexpected reset email — it's often the first sign.
- Don't reuse this password anywhere else.
- Don't assume changing the password is enough — remove the hidden rules and sessions too.
If you're locked out
If the attacker changed your password and recovery info, use the provider's official account-recovery flow and prepare proof of ownership (when you created it, past passwords, linked devices). Persistence through the right channel is what works — not "hackers" promising instant access.
How BlackHak helps
We help you recover your own email and accounts through official channels, clean up every hidden rule and session the attacker left behind, and lock everything down so it can't happen again.