Gmail Hacked? How to Get Your Account Back and Tighten Your Security

Gmail users are once again falling victim to a sophisticated phishing attack that is locking victims out of their accounts. While these sorts of attacks are nothing new, cybercriminals now have AI on their side to help them come up with new ways to trick people into falling for their traps. Right now, that trickery is taking the form of an email that looks convincingly like it's from Google, with an urgent call to action regarding a legal matter and a link for more information, according to a report from Forbes published on April 21.

But if you interact with the email, your credentials could be stolen, your password changed, and new security measures put in place to keep you from getting back into your account. If you find yourself in this boat – from this phishing attack or another – hope isn't lost. If you have the proper measures in place and you act quickly, you can regain access. A Google spokesperson told Forbes that a fix for this particular scenario will soon be deployed.

Read on to find out what to do in case your Gmail account is hacked and you can no longer log in. We'll also throw in some additional security measures so you can potentially make your account less vulnerable. For more, don't miss Android security and privacy features you should know about.

If Your Gmail Account Was Compromised, Do This

This particular attack isn't necessarily special, but it does show that cybercriminals are relentless in looking to gain access to user accounts by creating increasingly sophisticated methods of attack. And it is all too easy to fall victim to phishing attacks. Gmail is the most popular email service, so it makes sense for the bad guys to prioritize it. Google even has a quiz to help you spot these types of emails.

If you had your account hacked, regaining access can be tricky. What information and recovery measures were in place will play a factor in your success and in the time it could take to recover your account. Start by going to https://accounts.google.com/signin/recovery and answer the questions to the best of your ability. If you had any additional emails or phone numbers associated with your account, this information may be able to help you, even if it's been removed from your account.

Google has additional tips that may help you when completing the account recovery module, like making sure you're completing these steps in a familiar location and with a familiar device. After some digging, including going through a series of help requests about a compromised account, the writer of the Forbes report was able to receive a callback from Google directly. A key factor here, though, was that it required the Google One Premium subscription that offers additional storage, AI features, and other benefits.

Prevention is the Best Method: How to Secure Your Gmail Account

There's a reason why you'll find more support articles from Google that will show you how to prevent bad actors from getting into and wreaking havoc on your Gmail account than you'll find articles about recovering from a phishing attack. That's because it's much easier to prevent a hack than it is to prove you're the one trying to regain access to your account.

If you're lucky enough to be reading this as a preventive measure to protect your Gmail account, here are things you can and should do to keep your account safe. One of the easiest ways to increase the security of your account is adding a recovery email and phone number to your account. Here's how to do it.

Additional security measures you should enable:

* Enable two-step verification when you sign into your Google account or any of its apps, like Gmail. * Consider the Google Advanced Protection Program, which doubles down on security.

True, additional security can come at the expense of convenience. Some of the methods may be slightly less secure but keep your convenience balanced, where others may be much more secure and the convenience dial turned all the way down.