Giving someone access to your email account is like giving them the keys to your kingdom
Every time we set up an account, change a password, or ask for info we use our email account. Imagine if someone was able to snoop around your account or worse, take it over? Everything they needed to take over your identity is sitting in your inbox.
Now Gmail is brilliant - last month they blocked 18 million spam Cover-19 related emails from even reaching you. But the account is only as good as your settings. For peace of mind take 10 minutes to run through these 4 steps:
Your email password should be unique. Don't use a password that you've used on other accounts.
Go for passwords that are a minimum of 12 to 14 characters in length
Include Numbers, Symbols, Capital Letters, and Lower-Case Letters
Stay away from obvious dictionary words and combinations of dictionary words like "bank123" or "RedDog"
Don’t use common substitutions for example pa$$w0rd or h0use
Even better - use a Password Manager like Dashlane or LastPass or 1Password
They might get into your account but now there's an extra step. Think of it as a double check. You can choose between alerts or a one-time passcode via text message.
Visit the Google Security Page and click on 2-Step Verification and follow the prompts.
Chances are things might have changed since your set up your account. If you get locked out of your gmail account they will use these details to verify its you.
On the security settings page, visit Ways We can Verify its You. Visit each of these to check and update if necessary Recovery phone, Recovery email and Security question
Now you've reached super sleuth level. See if anyone has accessed your account (bad boyfriends, hackers or your boss!).
Sign in to your Gmail account and scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll see a line that says "Last account activity..."
At the end of that line, click Details. If there's something that doesn't look right, click on the button labeled Sign out of all other Gmail web sessions and immediately change your password.
Well done, you've secured the keys to your kingdom! Reward yourself now.
Data Influence blogs and stories are provided for information only, not legal advice. Always consult your lawyer on legal matters.
