Helpful Tips for Keeping Your Email Safe

E-mail is one of the best inventions ever made by mankind. It’s used to register for websites, apply for job openings, pay bills, contact people, and many more. However, your email account is also one of the most common ways for cybercriminals to hack into your system. Here are some important tips for protecting your Gmail account.

Most people use one email address for everything they need. Because of this, information from websites, e-newsletters, online stores, and messages from work get stored in one place. What if someone breaks into it? It's important to keep multiple email addresses for safety reasons. However, having multiple email accounts will help you be more productive. You can have a business account to communicate with clients and colleagues, and a separate email address for your work-specific needs.

Many email users neglect to consider the importance of using strong password for their email accounts. It may surprise you to know that 123456, qwerty, and password are still the most common email password combinations out there. To keep your accounts secure, use long, complex password/passphrase combinations that include both uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, and special characters. Make sure these new password combinations are different from any other password combination for any other online accounts. You may want to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for some of them. It adds an extra level of security by requiring additional verification methods, like a fingerprint scan, temporary activation codes, or SMS text messages.

Do not click on links in email messages unless you've verified their legitimacy first. You never know where they might take you. Some emails may be safe, but others could contain malware or take you to a malicious website. It's always best to check out the sender before clicking on any links. If you're expecting a file from your friend or family, then go ahead and open the attachment. However, emails coming directly from an unknown source or one with a strange name like “@amazon6752.com” are usually fraudulent. These types of attacks are called phishing, and they're often quite clever. For example, cyber criminals might pretend to be legitimate companies like Amazon, Facebook or Bank of America to trick their victims into giving away sensitive personal information. They create email messages with a sense of immediacy by claiming that there's something wrong with your online banking or credit card accounts and that you need to confirm your personal details. Even if there were an actual problem with your account, legitimate websites wouldn't send you links asking for personal information via email. If you receive these emails, don't click on any links in them. Instead, go to the company's website or call their customer service department using an official phone number.

Keep an eye on your account activity periodically. Make sure to limit access privileges to apps if you want to ensure maximum privacy and security. You should also look at your log files for any suspicious activity, including unusual devices and IP address accesses. If you see this message, then hackers may have already broken into your email address. If this happens, log off from all websites and change your passwords immediately.

Encryption ensures that messages sent from your email account aren't viewable by anyone else. Meanwhile, updating your anti-malware programs, firewalls, antivirus software, and spam filtering tools can help protect your online accounts against various types of attacks. Contact us today for all your cyber security needs.