Google email on iPad hacked last night

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

What a mess.
I'm stuck on the iPad during holiday and my email ends up sending out over 9000 messages in 20 minutes!!!
I'm embarrassed to say it took that long to sort out the gmail.
Not as easy as on the home machine.
I have AVG at home and it would have detected the threat. What do you use on an iPad?

[Amaranthus (Barry)]

I link Gmail to the default mail client on the iPad, but I also use the Gmail app. I wonder how this happened? Sometimes people send stuff using your email address but not coming from your domain - was this what occurred?

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

That's the same set up I use......
The spam messages appeared in my sent folder!!!

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Merlin66

That's the same set up I use......
The spam messages appeared in my sent folder!!!

I'd suspect your gmail password was compromised and the spam was sent via gmail but not from your iPad. That explains it showing up in your sent folder.

Change the password if you haven't already done so.

[Wavytone]

You mention a "home machine".

10:1:

- it's a PC,
- it has malware, and
- it was the source of the 9000 messages, not the iPad.

Time to change passwords and clean it up.

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

I'd be surprised that a PC sitting off line, and cold in Melbourne could cause all this turmoil.

[Wavytone]

Originally Posted by Merlin66

I'd be surprised that a PC sitting off line, and cold in Melbourne could cause all this turmoil.

Wait till you have had to deal with a PC that sent a million emails overnight...

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Merlin66

I'd be surprised that a PC sitting off line, and cold in Melbourne could cause all this turmoil.

With my hypothesis it didn't need to be any of your devices that sent the spam. Anyone with your gmail address and password could send it from anywhere.

[Nikolas (Nik)]

Gmail doesn't sit on any computer. Yoour account was hacked and emails were sent using your account. It's irrelevant about your ipad or computer it was done from elsewhere. Change your password.