Is my account safe

Question

My email account was hacked. I removed the email address that was added and changed my password. While I no longer see the other email address, when I log on, now my email is listed as an "alias." Is this an issue? Thanks,

Answer 1

I worked in cybersecurity. When an account has been successfully attacked, you can no longer trust it. You'll never know what malware was planted in the account. Just as bad, the attacker knows everything about you that was in the account, and to that extent can impersonate you on the internet. You'll be the last one to discover it.

When an account has been successfully attacked, the owner needs to start over, and put as much distance as they can between themselves and their old account.

Answer 2

An alias by itself is not an issue. For a Microsoft account, email addresses associated with the account are called aliases, and they all use the same contacts, storage, subscriptions, and account settings. Any alias can be used to sign in, and aliases share a single password.

What matters is whether every alias and security method on the account belongs to the account owner.

Recommended checks after a compromise:

1. Review aliases in Manage how you sign in and remove any address that is not recognized.
2. Verify the account’s security info so only trusted recovery methods remain.
3. Check the account’s Recent activity and review any unusual sign-in attempts.
4. If any activity is not recognized, use This wasn’t me or Secure your account from the activity details.
5. Since the password was already changed, also check Outlook settings that attackers commonly modify: connected accounts, forwarding, and automatic replies.
6. Run a full antivirus or malware scan on the PC before making further security changes.

If only recognized aliases and recovery methods remain, and no suspicious activity or forwarding settings are present, seeing the email listed as an alias is expected behavior for a Microsoft account.

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• Change the email address for your Microsoft account
• Help protect your Outlook.com email account
• How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account
• What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account