Credential recovery is the process of restoring a legitimate user’s access after a password is forgotten, changed without permission, or otherwise compromised. It may involve verifying identity, resetting a password, invalidating stolen credentials, and issuing recovery codes or other authentication factors.
In cyber security, recovery must be both reliable and resistant to abuse: weak identity checks can let attackers hijack accounts, while slow or confusing processes can lock out real users. After unauthorized password changes, users should follow only the service’s official recovery channels, secure the associated email account, and choose a unique password. Organizations should log recovery actions, revoke compromised sessions, and provide clear, auditable steps for restoring access.