Two Ways Your Email Can Be Hacked and How to Tell the Difference
Two Ways Your Email Can Be Hacked — And How to Tell the Difference
When you hear that your email has been “hacked,” it’s easy to imagine some shadowy figure taking over your inbox. But in reality, there are two very different ways this can happen — and knowing which one you’re dealing with makes all the difference in how you fix it.
1. Full Account Takeover — The Real Break-In
In this case, the attacker actually logs into your email account and can read, send, or delete your messages. Think of it like someone stealing your house key and walking right in.
How they get in:
- Phishing scams – You click a fake login page (often a perfect copy of Gmail’s) and type in your password.
- Password reuse – Your password was stolen in another company’s data breach, and you used the same one for Gmail.
- Malware – A program on your computer records your keystrokes and sends them to the attacker.
- Weak password – Something guessable like “123456” or your pet’s name.
- Unsecured Wi-Fi – Logging in at a café or airport without protection lets someone intercept your login.
Signs this might have happened:
- You email's security settings show logins from strange places or devices.
- New filters or forwarding rules you didn’t set up (to hide the attacker’s activity).
- Unknown apps suddenly have permission to access your Gmail.
2. Email Spoofing — The Digital Impersonator
Here, your account itself is not broken into. Instead, the attacker sends emails that look like they came from you — similar to someone mailing letters with your name on the envelope, but never touching your actual mailbox.
How they pull it off:
- Using vulnerable mail servers to send fake “From” addresses.
- Taking advantage of weak security settings on a domain (SPF/DKIM/DMARC).
- Already having some of your contacts from another breach, then using your name to trick them.
Signs this might have happened:
- The fake messages don’t appear in your Sent folder.
- The email “header” shows it was sent from a server that isn’t the server you use.
- The email fails security checks (SPF or DKIM) when you look at the technical details.
Why It Matters
- If it’s a full account takeover → You need to treat everything as compromised — your email, your device, and any accounts linked to that email. Change passwords, run security scans, and check connected services.
- If it’s spoofing → Your account isn’t technically breached, but you should still warn your contacts and review your email security settings. If you own a custom domain, set up proper authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). With free Gmail, your control is limited, but you can still check headers and report abuse.
Bottom line
Not all “email hacks” are the same. One is like a burglar inside your home, the other is like someone sending letters pretending to be you. The sooner you know which you’re facing, the faster you can take the right steps to protect yourself — and your reputation.
