compromised a

a s 20 Reputation points
2026-10-19T10:20:08.9366667+00:00

My Hotmail account appears compromised. Emails keep reappearing in my inbox in a continuous loop. A suspicious rule named “Archive attachment” followed by letters keeps returning after deletion. I have changed my password, enabled two-step verification and deleted all rules. Yesterday, I deleted all inbox emails hoping to recover messages received before the compromise. Please investigate the recurring emails, persistent rule, possible unauthorised access and whether my deleted emails can be recovered. The issue remains unresolved. Urgent assistance is required.

Outlook | Outlook for mobile | Outlook for Android | For home
0 comments No comments

Answer accepted by question author
EmilyS726 278.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-10-19T12:16:35.4766667+00:00

Hello,

I am going to share with you a comprehensive list of things to do. Please feel free to skip any steps you have already completed, except the first step, which is very important.

Please complete these steps on a computer, not on a smartphone or tablet.

Step 1: Sign out everywhere FIRST

Go to https://account.microsoft.com/security and sign in.

Go to Manage how I sign in, scroll down, and click Sign out everywhere.

This is intended to disconnect any active sessions that may still have access to your Microsoft account.

IMPORTANT: This process can take up to 24 hours to fully take effect. This means someone who is already signed into your account may not be disconnected immediately.

Continue the following after the 24-hour wait is over.

====================

Step 2: Review your Outlook settings

Go to https://www.outlook.com and sign in.

Click the gear icon in the top right corner to open Settings.

Under Mail, review the following areas:

Rules

If any rules are listed that you did not create, delete them. If you do not use rules at all, you can delete all of them.

Conditional formatting

If anything is set up there that you did not create, delete it.

Forwarding and IMAP

If you see any entries or settings you did not create, remove them. Turn off POP and IMAP if you do not use them.

Junk

Review your Safe senders and Blocked senders lists. Remove any unfamiliar entries from the Safe senders list.

After that, exit Settings and return to Outlook.com.

Open the To Do section by clicking the blue checkmark icon on the left side. Delete anything there that was not created by you.

====================

Step 3: Review your Microsoft account

Go to https://account.live.com.

Under Your info > Sign-in preferences, review all aliases on your account. If you see any alias you do not recognize, remove it. Be careful not to delete any legitimate email address you still use.

Next, go to the Devices section of your Microsoft account and remove any devices you do not recognize.

====================

Step 4: Secure your account

Go to the Security section of your Microsoft account.

Change your password to a new, strong password that you have never used before.

Enable two-step verification.

Go to Manage how I sign in and make sure all security contact information belongs to you.

On that same page, scroll down to App passwords and remove any existing app passwords you do not need.

====================

Step 5: Review app permissions

Go to https://account.microsoft.com/privacy/app-access.

Review the apps that have permission to access your Microsoft account.

Click Don't allow for anything you do not recognize or no longer use.

Was this answer helpful?

2 people found this answer helpful.

0 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.