![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754261295_159_960x0.jpg\")
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How to recover your hacked Google account.<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Update, August 4, 2025: This story, originally published on August 3, has been updated with a new report regarding phishing and credential theft trends as Google confirms account hacking spike and issues guidance for attack recovery to impacted users.<\/p>\n
Google has confirmed<\/a> that there has been a massive spike in the number of attacks against Google users, specifically being password-stealing threats delivered by email, which increased by 84% last year \u2014 a worrying trend, Google said, that has \u201conly intensified in 2025.\u201d If you need proof of the danger of these infostealer attacks<\/a>, I could point you to any number of reports, but to be honest, you\u2019ve probably already read them. Far better, then, to point you instead at the advice that Google has issued regarding how to recover your account if it gets hacked.<\/p>\n ForbesGoogle Issues 3 New Security Warnings \u2014 Fast Action NeededBy Davey Winder<\/a><\/p>\n Help \u2014 My Google Account Has Been Hacked<\/p>\n Take a quick peek at the Google online support forums, both official and those on Reddit<\/a>, and you will soon realize that there is a constant stream of messages from people asking for help to access their hacked accounts.<\/p>\n The July 29 Google announcement<\/a> by Google\u2019s senior director of product management, Andy Wen, confirmed the extent to which this is an issue. \u201cAttackers are intensifying their phishing and credential theft methods, which drive 37% of successful intrusions,\u201d Wen warned. Wen also noted that Google has observed an \u201cexponential rise in cookie and authentication token theft,\u201d being employed by hackers in compromising accounts.<\/p>\n I have covered the steps to take in order to mitigate these attacks in various articles here at Forbes.com, and I suggest you go check them out<\/a>. But what if the worst happens and you fall victim to a Google account hacker and find yourself locked out of accessing your precious account? The account that, among other things, opens the sensitive data vault that is your Gmail inbox. Don\u2019t panic, Google has got you covered.<\/p>\n ForbesNew VPN Attack Warning \u2014 What You Need To KnowBy Davey Winder<\/a><\/p>\n If your Google account has been hacked, or you find yourself locked out for whatever reason, there\u2019s a helpful official online guide to recovering access in just a few simple steps<\/a>.<\/p>\n Point your web browser at g.co\/recover and enter your Gmail address. Be sure too use a computer or phone that you\u2019ve used to sign into your account before, and use your usual browser at a location you usually sign in from. Phishing has remained the prominent method of initial access for hackers, Lexi DiScola, an information security analyst with the Cisco Talos Intelligence Group, warned in a summary of the latest intelligence analysis report<\/a> from Cisco Talos. And most of these phishing attacks involved credential harvesting, which adds weight to the warnings from Google about password-stealing threats to users. \u201cThe objective of the majority of observed phishing attacks appeared to be credential harvesting,\u201d DiScola said, \u201csuggesting cybercriminals may consider brokering compromised credentials as simpler and more reliably profitable than other post-exploitation activities, such as engineering a financial payout or stealing proprietary data.”<\/p>\n The use of legitimate and trusted email accounts is a primary aim of attackers, enabling them to potentially bypass \u201can organization\u2019s security controls as well as appearing more trustworthy to the recipient,\u201d DiScola warned. In one case cited in the report, victims were directed to a fake Microsoft Office 365 login page requiring a fake 2FA input, \u201clikely so the attacker could steal users\u2019 credentials and session tokens.\u201d All users, not just those of the Google platform, need to be alert to the risk.<\/p>\n
\n Answer the questions Google asks to the best of your ability. If you can\u2019t remember your password, use a previous one that you can or \u201ctake your best guess,\u201d as Google suggests.
\n You may be sent a security code to your recovery email or phone, authenticator app or a direct prompt on your device. Note, however, that \u201cGoogle never asks for your password or verification codes over email, phone call, or message,\u201d that will be a hacker.
\n Reset your password when prompted.
\nForbesMicrosoft Windows Is Being Hacked If You See These JPEG ImagesBy Davey Winder<\/a>
\nNew Cisco Talos Report Adds Weight To Google Credential-Harvesting Warnings<\/p>\n