Email Hacked and Sending Spam? Recover Your Account and Restore Trust

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Our email inbox often acts as the hub of our online lives: financial alerts, social accounts, work communications, and personal correspondence. When your email account is compromised (or worse, a hacker takes control and it begins sending spam), the damage can ripple far beyond just that one service. It can impact your identity, finances, professional reputation, and the trust of your contacts. 

What Is a “Compromised Email Address”?

A compromised email account means someone other than you has gained unauthorized access to your email address or account. That may involve:

• A hacker logging into your inbox.
• Malware on your computer that captures your credentials.
• Someone changing forwarding rules so your mail is secretly sent elsewhere.
• Your account being used to send spam or malicious messages.
• Attackers using your email to reset other accounts (since many services rely on email for password recovery).

When your account is compromised, the threat extends to your entire digital identity. Once one email is compromised, linked accounts (banking, social, shopping) become immediate targets.

Signs Your Email Has Been Hacked or Compromised

Here are common red flags that your email has suffered a breach or compromise:

• You notice emails in your Sent folder that you didn’t send (especially spam or phishing attempts).
• You receive alerts from your email provider about log-ins from unfamiliar locations or devices.
• Your password suddenly no longer works.
• Forwarding rules or auto‐reply messages that you didn’t set up.
• Contacts receive strange messages from you, or you’re suddenly blacklisted because your account is sending spam.
• You see login attempts or unknown devices listed under your account security settings.
• You receive password reset requests for services you don’t recall asking for.

Seeing one or more of these signs means you must treat the account as under threat and act immediately.

Immediate Actions If Your Email Is Compromised

Here’s a step-by-step guide for what to do if your email is compromised or your email got hacked, how do I fix it?

1. Regain Control of Your Email Account.

• Use your email provider’s recovery flow to reset your password (if you still have access).
• If you cannot log in, go through the “account recovery” or “hacked account” process your provider offers (e.g., Microsoft’s or Google’s support pages).
• Before resetting passwords, ensure your device is clean (see next step) so you don’t simply hand access back to the attacker.

2. Scan Your Devices for Malware.

Since malware or keyloggers may be involved (especially if the account was silently sending spam or your credentials were stolen), run a full malware/antivirus scan on your computers and mobile devices. Skipping this step can mean the hacker regains access even after you change passwords.

3. Change Your Password & Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

• Create a new, strong password: unique, long (12+ characters ideally), mixing letters, numbers, symbols, and avoid reusing across services.
• Immediately enable 2FA on your email account and all key linked services. This adds a secondary verification step that blocks attacks even when a password is compromised. 

4. Review Account Settings & Linked Services.

• Check for unfamiliar devices/devices you don’t recognize and sign them out.
• Review forwarding rules, auto-replies, recovery email addresses, and phone numbers. Remove or correct any you didn’t set.
• Check other linked services (banking, social, subscriptions) for unusual activity since they may also be at risk.

5. Notify Your Contacts & Alert Others.

If your email account was used to send spam or phishing messages, you should warn your contacts immediately: tell them you were hacked, ask them not to open strange attachments or links from you, and to delete any suspicious emails.
Also, report the incident to your email provider so they can investigate and potentially take action (such as blocking outgoing spam, marking your account for review).

6. Monitor & Protect Your Identity.

• Keep an eye on account activity logs, bank statements, credit card bills, and other sensitive accounts.
• Consider setting up credit or identity-theft alerts if you suspect personal data was exposed.
• If you find evidence of identity theft, follow the relevant procedures in your country.

What to Do If Your Hacked Email is Sending Spam

If your email is compromised and actively sending spam (or you’ve received complaints that your email is being used to send spam), there are additional steps:

• Change the password, sign out all devices, and remove forwarding rules, as above.
• Notify your provider so they can block outgoing spam from your account and prevent your address from being blacklisted.
• Inform contacts and ask them to disregard any suspicious emails they may have received from you.
• Review whether your email domain (if you use your own domain) has been spoofed or used. Sometimes the spam is coming from your address without your system being fully controlled (email spoofing).
• Check for malware that might be sending spam using your account credentials. Use logs, sent folder, and other clues to identify what changed and stop it.

Preventing Future Incidents: How to Stay Safe

Prevention is key. After recovering your account and cleaning things up, make these habits part of your routine:

• Use a password manager to generate and store strong, unique passwords for each service. Reusing passwords across sites is one of the biggest risks.
• Enable 2FA everywhere possible, especially your email account, banking, social media, and primary online services.
• Keep your operating system, browser, and apps up to date (security patches matter).
• Be cautious when clicking links or opening attachments in emails, phishing remains a leading method for account compromise.
• Disable or tightly control unused accounts. The more cloud accounts you have, the larger the attack surface.
• Regularly review your account recovery information (alternate email, phone number) and keep them current.
• Consider setting up a separate “backup” or “throw-away” email address for less critical services and reserve your primary email for key accounts.

How to Recover If Your Email Was Used to Send Spam

If your hacked email account has been used to send spam, recovery involves more than just changing your password. You need to restore trust in your domain, clean your reputation, and ensure that your messages are no longer marked as spam.

First, identify whether your messages were sent directly from your account (i.e., the hacker logged in) or through spoofing, when cybercriminals forge your address without accessing your inbox. If your domain or address is showing up in spam filters or blocklists, the recovery process must target both the technical and reputational aspects of your email identity.

1. Secure your email infrastructure:
   Change all passwords, remove unauthorized apps or forwarding rules, and activate two-factor authentication (2FA). If you use a custom domain (like you@yourcompany.com), contact your domain host to verify DNS integrity.
   
2. Implement or strengthen DMARC protection:
   A DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) record helps you take back control of your email domain by verifying that only authorized servers can send emails on your behalf. DMARC works with SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to authenticate legitimate emails. Once configured, it prevents spammers and phishers from sending malicious messages using your domain name.
   
3. Monitor and repair your sender reputation:
   If your domain or IP was used for spam, email providers like Gmail or Outlook may temporarily distrust it. Regularly check whether your domain is listed on blocklists or if messages still land in spam folders.
   
4. Use GlockApps to regain visibility and trust:
   The GlockApps Inbox Insight tool helps you run detailed deliverability and spam placement tests after a compromise. It shows where your emails land and identifies technical or content issues that may affect your recovery.
   
   • With GlockApps, you can check your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication status, see whether your IP/domain is on blocklists, and get a spam score to guide post-incident improvements.
     
   • If your email account was compromised and sending spam, GlockApps helps you confirm when your messages begin reaching the inbox again — a sign that your reputation and authentication are successfully restored.

By combining DMARC enforcement with GlockApps monitoring, you not only stop hackers from exploiting your domain but also rebuild your domain’s credibility faster and more confidently.

Conclusion

Once your email or domain has been used to send spam, you must rebuild trust with both your contacts and mailbox providers. That means combining strong security habits with the right authentication and monitoring tools.

Implementing DMARC, alongside SPF and DKIM, gives you control over who can send messages from your domain and prevents attackers from impersonating you in the future. Pairing this with GlockApps allows you to see exactly how your emails perform post-recovery. Checking inbox placement, authentication status, and blacklist results in real time.

By taking a comprehensive approach, you not only recover from a hacked email but also create a stronger, more resilient foundation for future communication. 

FAQ