Recently Google's GMAIL has been in news that approx 5 million gmail accounts credentials are hacked, leaked and posted in a forum with their respective email addresses. But according to Google only less than 2% of accounts were found to be hacked. Google officially said that this was not a breach in their system and the passwords leaked online has something to do with other resources. Most people use same passwords across various social networks like Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook that is the reason why their credentials got hacked. If your gmail account is still working then it doesn't mean that you are safe. Its your duty to make your gmail more secure than ever. In this tutorial I will teach you how to increase security on your Gmail account.
Tips To Increase Gmail Security
1. Change Passwords: First of all change your passwords on a timely basis. Doing so will add security to your account. Your password should be a combination of upper case letters, numbers and special characters. The longer and complex your password is, more it will be difficult for someone to crack or guess it. Read my Guide To Create Strong And Unhackable Passwords.
2. Enable 2-Step Verification: Google's 2-Step Verification is an extra layer of security added to your gmail account. In 2-Step verification you have to enter a verification code sent on your mobile phone via sms after entering the password and hitting enter. You can't login unless you enter the verification code, so if a hacker gets your password he can't login unless he access your cellphone to see the code. The code can be generated offline via authenticator app or you can print 10 codes for future use. Read How To Enable 2-Step Verification On Gmail
Note : After enabling two step verification you will be unable to login in to gmail for android. It will say wrong password entered every time. But don’t worry this is due to 2-step verification. You need to create application specific passwords to login into gmail android after enabling 2-step verification for Google account. You can learn by checking how to create application specific passwords for Google account.
3. Setup Recovery Options: You should setup recovery options now if you never did. In recovery option you provide a mobile phone number and an alternate email address to Google to recover your account in case you forget your password. Click to Update your Recovery Options.
Also in recovery options enable notifications for 'Password Change' and 'Suspicious Activity'. Google will notify you on your phone number and alternate email when your Gmail account's password is changed or something suspicious happens with your account.
4. View Recent Activity: Google keeps track of your Gmail account login history. You can check it here. Go to the link and click 'View all events' in 'Recent Activity'. If you find anything suspicious immediately change your passwords.
After following the above security tips you can secure your Gmail account.
Tips To Increase Gmail Security
1. Change Passwords: First of all change your passwords on a timely basis. Doing so will add security to your account. Your password should be a combination of upper case letters, numbers and special characters. The longer and complex your password is, more it will be difficult for someone to crack or guess it. Read my Guide To Create Strong And Unhackable Passwords.
2. Enable 2-Step Verification: Google's 2-Step Verification is an extra layer of security added to your gmail account. In 2-Step verification you have to enter a verification code sent on your mobile phone via sms after entering the password and hitting enter. You can't login unless you enter the verification code, so if a hacker gets your password he can't login unless he access your cellphone to see the code. The code can be generated offline via authenticator app or you can print 10 codes for future use. Read How To Enable 2-Step Verification On Gmail
Note : After enabling two step verification you will be unable to login in to gmail for android. It will say wrong password entered every time. But don’t worry this is due to 2-step verification. You need to create application specific passwords to login into gmail android after enabling 2-step verification for Google account. You can learn by checking how to create application specific passwords for Google account.
3. Setup Recovery Options: You should setup recovery options now if you never did. In recovery option you provide a mobile phone number and an alternate email address to Google to recover your account in case you forget your password. Click to Update your Recovery Options.
Also in recovery options enable notifications for 'Password Change' and 'Suspicious Activity'. Google will notify you on your phone number and alternate email when your Gmail account's password is changed or something suspicious happens with your account.
4. View Recent Activity: Google keeps track of your Gmail account login history. You can check it here. Go to the link and click 'View all events' in 'Recent Activity'. If you find anything suspicious immediately change your passwords.
After following the above security tips you can secure your Gmail account.
