Bluesky account hacked? Here’s what to do
Move fast and in the right order: reclaim the account through Bluesky’s official flow, kick the attacker out of every session, then close the door they came through — usually a password that leaked in a breach and was reused.
If your Bluesky account was hacked: start recovery at the official page (blueskyweb.zendesk.com/hc/en-us), change the password to a unique one, sign out all other sessions, and re-check the recovery email and phone on the account. Then find out how the attacker got in — check whether your password appears in known breach data — and turn on two-factor authentication so it can’t happen again.
Recover your Bluesky account, step by step
These steps follow Bluesky’s official process. Official links only: account recovery.
Reset your password from the app or web login using your account email.
If email access was changed, file a support request via the official help center with your handle and registration details.
Once inside: Settings - App passwords - revoke everything unknown, then change the main password.
Re-check your handle/custom domain and enable email two-factor authentication.
What trips people up with Bluesky
- App passwords are the quiet backdoor on Bluesky: third-party clients use them, they survive a main-password change, and attackers create their own. Revoke every app password you do not recognize in Settings.
- If your handle uses a custom domain, the attacker who controls the account can switch it and squat your identity - re-verify the domain handle right after recovery.
Still logged in? Lock the account down now
If you can still get in, you're racing the attacker. In this order: change the password to a long, unique one; sign out all other sessions/devices (the setting exists in Bluesky's security settings); confirm the recovery email and phone number are yours (attackers quietly add their own so they can "recover" the account later); remove unfamiliar linked apps or API access; and turn on two-factor authentication. Only then deal with anything the attacker posted, sent or bought.
Locked out of Bluesky — email or phone was changed
This is the worst-case scenario and the most common complaint: the attacker changed the account email, phone number or password so the normal reset flow emails them, not you. Do NOT keep triggering password resets — they go to the hacker. Go straight to Bluesky's dedicated recovery flow (link above), which is built for exactly this case: it verifies you by your original signup details, previous passwords, linked devices or a government ID / selfie check, bypassing the stolen email. Watch for the security notice Bluesky sent to your OLD email when the address was changed — it usually contains a "revert this change" link that works for a limited time and is the fastest way back in.
Got a "new login" alert from Bluesky?
Treat it as real but verify it the safe way: never tap the link in the message itself (fake login alerts are a top phishing template for Bluesky). Open the app or type the address yourself, check the active-sessions list in security settings, and if you see a device or location you don't recognize, sign it out and change your password immediately. If the alert was genuine, that password is burned — assume it's circulating and change it everywhere else you reused it.
The hacker is messaging your contacts
Attackers monetize a stolen Bluesky account by hitting your contacts — typically 7 in 10 victims see the hacker impersonate them with "help me out" payment requests, crypto pitches or malicious links. Warn people through another channel (text, email, another platform) as soon as you know you're compromised, and tell them not to click anything "you" sent. It protects your friends and creates a paper trail that helps your recovery and any ban appeal.
Why this happened — and how to make sure it can’t again
About a third of account takeovers are credential stuffing: a password you used on Bluesky (or the email behind it) leaked in some other company’s breach, and attackers replayed it here automatically. The FBI’s IC3 logged over 5,100 account-takeover complaints with $262M in losses in 2025 alone (IC3). Even when Bluesky itself was never breached, your reused password from another site opens it.
So after recovery, check what’s already out there: our free scanner shows which known breaches and dark-web dumps include your email — and whether passwords were exposed with it.
Check my exposure — free →After you recover: three doors to close
- Unique password + 2FA. A password manager plus app-based two-factor stops both stuffing and phishing replays.
- Reset everywhere you reused that password — email first (it’s the master key), then bank, then the rest.
- Shrink your public footprint. Attackers research targets on data-broker sites (your address, phone, relatives — enough to social-engineer support lines). Our free opt-out guide covers 190 of them, step by step.
Hacked Bluesky account, answered
How did my Bluesky account get hacked?
The most common cause isn't a hack of Bluesky itself — it's credential stuffing: a password you used on Bluesky leaked from some other site's breach, and attackers tried it here automatically. Roughly a third of account takeovers happen this way, with phishing (fake Bluesky login pages and alerts) close behind. That's why the first fix is a unique password, not just a new one.
Can I get my Bluesky account back?
Usually yes. Use the official recovery flow (https://blueskyweb.zendesk.com/hc/en-us) — it can verify you even when the attacker changed the email and password. Be patient and respond quickly to follow-ups so the case stays open.
Should I just make a new Bluesky account instead?
Not until you've tried recovery. The old account keeps your history and contacts — and while the attacker controls it, it will be used to scam people who trust you. Recover it, or at minimum report it as compromised so Bluesky can lock it, before you start over.
The hacker is posting and messaging as me on Bluesky — what do I tell people?
Warn your contacts through another channel not to click links or send money to "you", and report the account as compromised to Bluesky even before recovery finishes. Most platforms freeze visibly abusive accounts fast, which cuts the damage while your recovery case is processed.
How do I stop my Bluesky account being hacked again?
Three things close most of the doors: a unique password (a manager makes this painless), app-based two-factor authentication, and shrinking your exposed footprint — checking your email against known breach databases and removing your personal data from data-broker sites that attackers use to research targets.