Introduction

Your business email is the gateway to almost everything — client communications, financial transactions, employee data, and sensitive documents. If a cybercriminal gains access to your email account, the consequences can be severe: they can impersonate you to customers and suppliers, redirect invoice payments, access connected cloud services, and read months of confidential correspondence before you even realise something is wrong. For businesses in Dubai and across the UAE, where business is conducted heavily via email and WhatsApp, a compromised email account represents one of the most serious cyber incidents possible.

The challenge is that email account breaches are often silent. Unlike ransomware, which announces itself loudly, a hacked email account may operate normally while attackers read every incoming and outgoing message in the background. Knowing the warning signs and how to check if your email has been compromised is an essential skill for every business owner and office manager in the UAE.

Warning Signs Your Email May Be Compromised

Watch out for these indicators that your email account may have been accessed by an unauthorised party:

• Unexpected password reset emails: If you receive password reset requests you didn't initiate, someone may be attempting to take over your account.
• Contacts reporting strange emails from you: If clients or colleagues say they received unusual emails from your address — especially those containing suspicious links or requests for money — your account is likely compromised.
• Sent emails you didn't write: Check your Sent folder regularly. Attackers often send phishing emails or malicious content from your account without deleting the sent copies.
• Emails going to trash automatically: Attackers sometimes set up inbox rules to redirect certain emails (like bank alerts or security notices) to your trash folder so you don't see them. Check your inbox rules in Outlook or Gmail settings.
• Login alerts from unfamiliar locations: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace send alerts when logins occur from new devices or unusual locations — for example, a login from Eastern Europe when you're in Dubai. Never ignore these alerts.
• Unfamiliar forwarding rules: One of the most common signs of a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack is a secret forwarding rule that sends copies of all your emails to an external address. Check your email forwarding settings immediately.

How to Check If Your Email Has Been Hacked

Check your Microsoft 365 or Google sign-in activity: In Microsoft 365, go to My Account → Security → Sign-in activity to see recent logins, devices used, and locations. In Gmail, scroll to the bottom and click "Details" to see recent access. If you see logins from locations or devices you don't recognise, your account has likely been accessed.

Review your inbox rules: In Outlook, go to File → Manage Rules & Alerts and review all rules. In Outlook Web Access, go to Settings → View all Outlook settings → Mail → Rules. Delete any rules you did not create. In Gmail, go to Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses.

Check your forwarding settings: In Microsoft 365 admin portal, you can check if any mailboxes have external forwarding rules enabled. In Gmail, go to Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP to check for any unauthorised forwarding.

Use Have I Been Pwned: Visit haveibeenpwned.com and enter your email address. This service checks your email against known data breach databases to see if your credentials have been exposed in a public breach — including breaches from LinkedIn, Adobe, or other platforms where you may have registered with your business email.

Change your password immediately and enable MFA: If you suspect your account has been compromised, change your password immediately using a strong, unique password. Then enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. This is the single most effective step you can take to prevent further unauthorised access.

At Al Aida IT Technology, our security response team assists Microsoft 365 clients across Dubai in quickly identifying and responding to email compromise incidents — including revoking active sessions, auditing inbox rules, and strengthening account security through our IT AMC contracts.

Need Help? Al Aida IT Has You Covered

If your business is struggling with email security or you suspect your account has been compromised, our team at Al Aida IT Technology LLC provides expert managed IT support, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, and IT Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs) across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and the wider GCC region.

• 🛠️ Technical Support & Helpdesk: Email helpdesk@aidait.com
• 💼 Sales & Solution Quotations: Email sales@aidait.com

We respond within 1 business hour. Request a free IT consultation today — no obligation.