Process for Cleaning Compromised Accounts


This guide shows what you need to do to check your email settings if your account has been compromised. If you suspect your account has been compromised, please call the IT Service Desk in the first instance. Return to this guide once your account has been checked and your password reset.

Once you receive your new password, your account will be reactivated. Please follow the instructions below to clean your email account.

Logging into Outlook:

To perform these checks, you must log into the Outlook Web app using: https://office365.leeds.ac.uk/

Sign in with your username@leeds.ac.uk (this may be different from your email address) and your usual University password.

Click the Mail tile. Or open the app launcher in the top left-hand corner, and choose Mail from here.

Checking your sent items

In the folder list (at the left hand side), click on the Sent Items folder. Check for any suspicious items that may have been sent. These are most likely going to be addresses that you don't recognise and emails that you did not intend to send. Highlight the emails and press Delete.

To select more than one email at a time, you can use the check box.

Checking Automatic replies, Inbox rules, Forwarding and Signatures

In the navigation bar at the right-hand side, click the Settings Cog and scroll down to select View all Outlook settings in the right hand pane.

Under the Email heading in the left-hand pane, select Compose and reply and make sure there is nothing entered in here that you don't want to be there. Delete as appropriate and click Save.

Next, select Rules in the left-hand settings pane. Remove any suspicious entries or things you don't recognise. Then click Save.

Next, select Forwarding. Ensure there is nothing forwarding from your account. To do this make sure Enable forwarding is NOT selected and click Save. If it is already set to this option, you don't need to do anything.

Finally select Automatic Replies in the left-hand pane. Ensure that the Turn on automatic replies option is NOT enabled click Save. If it is already set to this option, you don't need to do anything.

Your mailbox should now be clean.