We all know how important it is to keep our personal and financial information safe, so when it comes to our Gmail accounts, we should take extra steps to make sure they’re secure. After all, if your email gets hacked, it can have serious repercussions for you, affecting your privacy and security in a big way. But don’t worry; with some simple tips and tricks, you can easily protect your Gmail account from being hacked! In this blog post, we’ll discuss six different ways that you can keep your Gmail account safe from prying eyes. So, sit back, relax, and read on to learn how you can prevent yourself from becoming the next victim of an unfortunate hacking attempt.
Know How it’s Done
One of the best ways that you can prevent your Gmail account from being hacked is to know how it’s done. One of the first ways that many hackers can access your Gmail account is through phishing. This means they create a website that looks very similar to your e-mail login, and then you enter your password, which they log in to.
However, there are also simpler methods, such as installing an application on someone’s mobile device or having an application installed on your device that monitors everything you do. According to EarthWeb, these can monitor what you are streaming, your Internet browsing history, what media has been saved on your phone, what social media platforms you use, who you talk to, as well as any messages from instant messaging software or emails.
Use Antivirus
One of the best ways that you can protect yourself from having your e-mail account hacked is to download antivirus software. While it is true that most phones and desktop computers or laptops will come with antivirus software preinstalled most of the time, these aren’t very effective, so it would be worth your while to install the antivirus software of your choosing.
One reason why you should consider using antivirus software to protect yourself from your Gmail account being hacked is so that if you do click on any unknown attachments or visit any unknown links that have been sent to you, your antivirus will flag them or warn you. In addition to this, most antivirus software will scan email attachments before you even open them.
Don’t Download Unknown Attachments
One thing that you should look out for is any attachments or links that have been sent to you. Attachments and links are one of the favorite methods that hackers use to gain information about your account and potentially get what they need to hack you.
If you have been sent an attachment from a contact or an e-mail address that you do not know, it would be a good idea to not click on it. More importantly, if you have been sent a link from an email account that you have never received emails from before, you should also not visit it. Most of the time, these attachments contain viruses or malware, and the links that you visit will take you to websites where phishing takes place.
Use Unique Passwords with 2FA
Another incredibly important tip if you are looking to avoid getting your Gmail account hacked is to use unique passwords with two-factor authentication. You might not be aware of this, but it is easy for a potential hacker to try and guess your password or to use software that will try thousands of combinations until your password is guessed.
In addition to creating a unique password, you should also make use of two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication means asking for a password and then an additional layer of security before you can access your account. Making use of two-factor authentication is incredibly important since it adds another step if a hacker gains access to your password.
As you can see, there are many ways for hackers to get into your Gmail account, but more importantly, there are many things you can do to prevent this from happening. For example, you can use strong, unique passwords, two-factor authentication, and antivirus software, and keep an eye out for the latest methods that hackers use.