Gmail Security — steps to protect your account

Did you know that 64% of Americans have personally experienced a major data breach?

However, a majority of Americans still do not take steps for cybersecurity with 39% of people reusing passwords across several platforms and 25% using less than secure passwords because they are easy to remember.

When you think of your Gmail account and the amount of information it holds, whether personal or professional, the number of accounts and platforms that are linked to it from bank accounts, online shopping to social media and dating apps, the idea that it might get hacked is not a pleasant one!

That’s why it is important that you strengthen the security of your account with the following actionable and non-technical steps which will ensure that your inbox remains safe and private.

Prevent your Gmail account from being compromised!

STEP 1: Activate 2-Step verification

First, you should protect your identity and with that, the way you sign in. Google’s concern over account theft issues has resulted in the introduction of a security feature known as 2-Step Verification.

2-Step Verification provides you with an extra layer of security. Every time you wish to access your account, a code will be sent to your phone; thus making it impossible for another party to guess your password.

We believe every Gmail accounts should have this activated. To do so, click here and follow the on-screen instructions.

Note that you’ll need a mobile phone to activate this feature. Should you lose your phone, you can create printable backup codes and add a backup phone number as alternatives for accessing your account.

It might sound annoying and probably will be the first few times but it’s a small price to pay to protect your account from hacking attempts.

STEP 2: Detect and block email trackers

You may not be aware that many people and companies track emails they send, without your consent.

With this information, they know exactly when, where, and how many times you’ve read their message. It is super useful data for marketing and sales professionals but in the wrong hands it could lead to privacy breaches.

Fortunately, you can protect your email privacy by using Gmelius.

Gmelius offers a feature that let’s you detect and block email trackers within your Gmail account. Learn more

STEP 3: Update your Gmail security credentials

How many years ago did you create your Gmail account?

If it was at least “a few” years ago, your recovery details such as your backup phone number may have changed.

It’s vital that you monitor your security details and update your security questions, recovery options, and password!

Speaking of passwords, make sure that you have a strong password!

The first thing you’d want to do is go to the Sign-in and Security Checkup page and update your password.

But what does a secure password look like anyway?

A secure password:

• Contains capital letters, numbers, and punctuation signs
• Is a minimum of eight characters long
• Does not contain a complete word
• Does not contain your real name, your username, or your company name
• Is completely different from previous passwords you’ve used

Sometimes, trying to remember a strong password can be difficult but there are ways and means of recalling good passwords. Check out this interesting article about passwords on ways of remembering your password.

You should also consider using a password manager and apply our strong password advises for your master password.

How Often Should Gmail Passwords Be Changed?

Logically, we know that our passwords should be changed from time to time, but there’s no ideal answer on how often this should be. Check out this IT security expert’s opinion on password which summarizes things well:

You don’t need to regularly change the password to your computer or online financial accounts (including the accounts at retail sites); definitely not for low-security accounts. You should change your corporate login password occasionally, and you need to take a good hard look at your friends, relatives, and paparazzi before deciding how often to change your Facebook password. But if you break up with someone you’ve shared a computer with, change them all.

STEP 4: Revoke access to 3rd party apps

You may have signed up to a certain website using your Google credentials or installed third-party extensions.

Some of these may be compromising your account, so you should remove the ones you no longer use and make sure you trust the ones you keep.

Head to Google’s Account Permissions page to revoke access to anything you don’t want to keep.

STEP 5: Check for suspicious activity

If Google notices suspicious activity in your account they’ll send you a notification. It may be that there are sign-ins from an unfamiliar location or an unfamiliar device.

But ideally you’ll also manually review your account at least once a month to make sure that no suspicious activity has taken place without you knowing.

To review your account, click on ‘Details’ on the right hand side of the footer of your mailbox.

You’ll see a list of sign-ins and alerts that have been blocked, including sign-ins from new devices.

Should you notice unusual activity, try to recall why this activity happened, and if it is yours. If you can’t recall the activity and you’re unsure as to why it exists, your best action is to change your password immediately.

STEP 6: Check account filters for forwarding emails

One thing you should also look out for is that there are no active filters in your account that might be forwarding your email to a third-party email address.

This check is simple: Go to your Settings’ page and click on the Filters tab. Look for filters you haven’t authorized and delete them.

In addition, check the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab to ensure there’s no unauthorized forwarding address other than those approved by you.

STEP 7: Authenticate your emails when sending sensitive information

On receiving an email, you may notice that next to the sender’s email address there’s a small red padlock.

This indicates that the message is potentially unsafe.

This red unlocked icon comes with emails that have not been authenticated by Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.

Don’t worry too much if you don’t understand how the technology works.

You only need to be concerned if you see this icon and the message has something to do with passwords or other sensitive information.

At this point you need to contact the sender of these insecure emails if you want to continue exchanging messages with this person.

In conclusion

By taking the above simple steps you can be assured that your Gmail account is secured to the best of your ability.

But always be on the lookout for notifications from Gmail advising that you need to add additional security in order to stay on top of any new potential vulnerabilities.