Use Google? 5 new ways to secure your account
I found a few fun facts from a recent Digital Shadows report interesting. Some 15 billion stolen account passwords from over 100,000 data breaches are available on the web. Passwords sell for around $15 each. Bank and financial account credentials cost much more, as you might expect, at $70.
There’s a site that maintains a regularly updated database of stolen email addresses and passwords. Enter your email address, and odds are, you’ll see your password along with it. Tap or click here to find out if your email address and password are for sale on the Dark Web.
Your email address could also be used to send spam on behalf of hackers and scammers without your knowledge. Fortunately, another site will tell you if your email address or domain is being used for that nefarious purpose. Tap or click here to check for that.
Google accounts are in demand for obvious reasons. Think about it. Your single sign-in likely opens a world into not only your Gmail but also your contacts, calendar, documents, files, photos and more stored with Google.
Get a free security checkup
Google’s Security Checkup service gives you a quick overview of your account security and the devices currently signed in to your account. This is a terrific place to start. You want to see all the green checkmarks.
Google will alert you to any potential security issues such as compromised passwords, recent security issues, apps that can access your data, and more. Pay close attention to the “Your Devices” section. You may find you’re logged into a few places you haven’t used in a while, or an old device is still tied to your account.
It’s definitely worth the time to check each section and follow Google’s recommended fixes. When I ran the check, Google recommended that I turn on Advanced Protection.
While it’s a hassle, my account’s extra protection is worth the two additional seconds it will take to sign in. I now need to authenticate any new sign-ins to my Google account by tapping “Yes” on my phone. More about this in Step 5 to come. Let’s start with the almighty password.
1. Deal with another annoying password
I’d be remiss in not stressing the importance of having a complex, unique password for each of your various online accounts. Run this Google check on your account passwords to learn if they were compromised, see how strong they are and if you’ve used them any more than once.
Gmail fixes dangerous bug — steps to protect your account now
Google has more power and pull on the web than you might think. This company, now one of the largest in the world, controls a significant majority of the internet’s ad power and revenue. Plus, it’s responsible for one of the largest communication platforms you can use today: Gmail.
3 key settings to change now to secure your Google account
Security should always be at the top of the priority list, especially when it comes to your online accounts. One that you need to make sure you’ve secured is your Google account.
You may think there is no reason to use advanced security measures to protect your Google account, but if a hacker or someone with bad intentions ends up with access to your account, it can spell bad news for your finances and your personal information.