GitHub account compromised - username changed, email removed, no support response for 5 days

[NeroGenStudio]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Profile

Body

Hi GitHub Community,

My GitHub account was recently compromised and I need guidance on what else I can do while waiting for GitHub Support.

My previous username was:

@neroIJN

After the account was compromised, the username appears to have been changed to:

@dffqmwzzst

The profile still shows my name, photo, bio, and social links, so I can clearly identify it as my account. However, I can no longer sign in because the password/login details seem to have been changed. I also believe my email address was removed from the account, so I am not receiving password reset emails.

I still have my GitHub 2FA recovery codes, but I understand that I should not share them publicly.

I have already contacted GitHub Support through the compromised account/account recovery form, but it has been around 5 days and I still have not received a response from the support team.

I also have local repositories that still point to my previous GitHub username. For example, one of my local remotes still shows:

https://github.com/neroIJN/HPC-Portfolio-Optimization.git

I can also provide local commit history, Git remotes, and other proof of ownership if needed.

This account contains my final-year project and ongoing development work, so recovering it is very important and urgent for me.

Is there any additional step I can take to verify ownership, escalate the support request, or protect my repositories while waiting for GitHub Support?

Any guidance would be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

[MARSIAGO]

What to do right now (while waiting for support)

Resubmit/submit a new ticket to GitHub support
The most important link:
→ https://support.github.com/contact/account-recovery
Or: https://support.github.com/contact → select the "Account has been hacked/compromised" option or "I can't access my account." In your ticket, be sure to include:
Old username: @neroIJN
New username: @dffqmwzzst
Original email address (the one that was used to resolve the issue)
Approximate time and date of the hack
What exactly changed (password, email address removed, username changed)
What you have: 2FA recovery codes, local repositories, commit history, SSH keys (if any), payment information (if any)
Links to important repositories (e.g., "Your latest project")
Not Publish your recovery codes publicly!
Update your local repositories (to continue working) Bashgit remote source set-url https://github.com/dffqmwzzst/HPC-Portfolio-Optimization.git (or whatever the repository is currently called). After restoring your account, change it back.
Additional steps
Check your email (especially spam/junk)—GitHub may contact you there.
If you have an email backup, try it there.
Save all proof of ownership: screenshots of your old profile, old emails, SSH public keys, etc.
Don't create a new account with a similar name—this may complicate recovery.

Realistic Expectations
GitHub support is currently very busy. Many people wait from 5 days to 3-4 weeks. In your case (you have recovery codes + proof of ownership), the recovery speed is very high. What else can you do?

Write another ticket 7-10 days after the first one (but don't spam every day).
If it's really urgent, you can mention that it's critical for the final project/work/portfolio.

[Stark-SK]

Hi,

Sorry you’re dealing with this, account compromises like this can be stressful, but it sounds like you’ve already taken the correct first step by contacting GitHub Support through the account recovery form.

While waiting, here are the important things you can still do:

1 - Do not attempt to create duplicate recovery requests repeatedly, as it can slow down the support queue. One properly submitted ticket is usually enough.

2 - Keep monitoring the email inbox you originally used for the account recovery request, including spam/junk folders, since GitHub Support will only respond there.

3 - Prepare strong proof of ownership in advance so you can respond quickly when support replies. This can include:
a - local Git commit history showing your email and username
b - repository remotes like the one you shared
c - links to public repositories or forks connected to your old account
d - any billing or GitHub Student Pack or email confirmations tied to the account

4 - If you still have 2FA recovery codes, do not share them publicly. Only provide them directly to GitHub Support if they request account verification through official channels.

5 - If your repositories are critical, consider immediately:
a - cloning all local copies you still have
b - ensuring backups are stored outside the compromised environment
c - rotating any tokens, SSH keys, or credentials that may have been exposed

6 - Unfortunately, there is no manual way to bypass or speed up account recovery beyond the official support process. GitHub support is the only team that can restore access or revert username changes in compromised cases.

Since your account still shows your identity details and you have strong local evidence, your case is in a good position for recovery once support responds. The current delay (around 5 days) is still within a normal range for security investigations, which can take longer than standard support tickets.

For now, the best action is to wait for their response while keeping your evidence ready for verification.