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Email is the most invaluable asset of anyone’s identity on the web. You use email everyday and have all the important information stored in your inbox. All your social networking accounts, website registrations, Paypal accounts etc are connected and controlled by your email and thus it makes sense to completely secure your Gmail account and prevent unauthorized access.
Choosing a strong password is not enough, you should be well aware how people try to gain access to other people’s email accounts by unfair means. Here are some useful tips on securing your Gmail account and avoid getting hacked:
1. Always Check The URL before Logging in to GmailWhenever you log in to your Gmail account, always check the URL from the browser address bar. This is because there are plenty of dirty minds who create an exact replica of the Gmail login page. The worst part – they install some scripts or malicious codes behind the fake login page and host the page in their web server. When you login to Gmail from a fake login page, your username as well as password is sent to another email address or to an FTP location.
Hence, always check that you are logging in to Gmail by typing chúng tôi and not from any other URL.
2. Avoid checking Emails at Public PlacesA Keylogger is a computer program which can be used to record what you are typing in the keyboard. The Keylogger records your keystrokes, saves them in a simple text file and sends it to an email address or to an FTP server. And you are completely unaware of the whole process, running in the background.
You never know which programs are installed in a public computer. Consider a simple scenario: You went to a local internet cafe to check emails from your Gmail account. The cafe staff has installed a Keylogger in every computer and when you type the username and password, the Keylogger script comes into action, records both your username and password and sends it to another email address. You leave the cafe after checking emails and the cafe staff retrieves your username and password and hacks your account.
Hence, never check emails at a local cafe or at public places or in any computer where you don’t have control.
3. Forward Emails to A Secondary Email accountShould you need to check emails from a public computer or from a local internet cafe and you fear that the computer might have installed some keylogger programs? Here is a nice workaround.
Create another Gmail account and choose a different password for this account. This means that the password of your new Gmail account should not match with the password of your main Gmail account.
Select the option to forward all incoming mails to your newly created Gmail account. Any email received in your primary email account will be forwarded to this secondary email address automatically.
Whenever you want to check emails from a public computer, use this secondary email account. Anybody trying to hack your email account using a keylogger or a malicious program can hack this secondary email account but not your primary one. Obviously, do not leave any important emails or password/username in this temporary email account – keep deleting emails at regular intervals. Yes, this may sound ridiculous but it’s better to be on the safe side.
VERY IMPORTANT: Do not use or associate this secondary email account as a password recovery option of your primary email account. Use this email account just for checking emails at a public computer, that’s it.
4. Regularly Monitor Gmail Account ActivityThis will show you a list of the last IP addresses used to log in to your Gmail account. You will notice the country and state name alongside date and time of your last Gmail activity. Should you find another unknown IP address or the name of a place, there are high chances that somebody else is logging in to your Gmail account from elsewhere.
5. Check for Bad FiltersGmail filters can be used to set rules in your Gmail account – you can automatically forward specific emails to another email account, delete it, archive it and do various other tasks. Sadly, filters can be a big threat to your Gmail account security.
Consider a situation – you checked emails from your college computer, forgot to log out and left the classroom. One of your friends found that you have forgotten to log out and he applied a filter in your Gmail account. This filter automatically forwards all of your emails at his email address.
Now he has access to all your emails and he may reset your account password, if he wants.
Note: Gmail will never ask you to change your password or enter login credentials without any reason. Hence, if you receive any email which claims to be from Google and wants you to change your password, be rest assured someone is trying to fool you and hack your email account.
7. Choose a Strong Alphanumeric passwordMost users choose very generic passwords which can be easily guessed. You should always choose a very strong password which is difficult to guess. Always remember the following tips regarding choosing passwords:
Choose both numbers and alphabets in your password. It would be even better if you include symbols and special characters.
Never use your phone number, parents name or credit card number as your email account password.
Choose a long password – probably more than 10 characters.
Never write your password on paper or save it as a text document in your computer.
Anyone trying to hack your email account will have a difficult time guessing the password and the more complicated your password, the more secure and better it is. You should also connect your mobile number with your Gmail account. This is required in case your forget the password and can’t login to Gmail.
Soumen Halder
Soumen is the founder/author for Ampercent, a tech blog that writes on computer tricks, free online tools & software guides.
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Protect Your Mac In 7 Ways
Protect Your Mac In 7 Ways
Apple’s growing market share have increased the potential number of threats and this catches hacker’s attention to cash in. Surely, when compared with Windows it’s still not that exposed but from not having, it has grown to have more than a few sophisticated ransomware threats.
Regardless of the OS you work on threat exists and there’s no concrete solution that works for all. You can apply safeguards but the risk is still there it cannot be eliminated. It’s better to be cautious then be infected.
1: Keep Your Mac OS And Server OS Updated
OS updates are essential they ensure that both client and servers are covered against known susceptibilities. This surely doesn’t include no exploit policy, but it reduces the risk of getting infected by unseen threats.
2: Update All the Installed Applications
To keep your machine protected against threats, you will have to update all the software apps. These updates enable new features, provides compatibility with a new Mac OS and more strong security. They have the same importance as OS updates. If you have not yet updated the software do so.
Apple has a solution for almost everything you can use Apple’s Remote Desktop to install application updates, new packages, and/or remotely implement commands and scripts.
3: Configure and Enable Security Measures
These security measures alone do not suffice but they go a long way in protecting networks from getting infected. An updated antivirus and malware software will be of additional help and will detect and monitor real time threats.
4: Lock Down Your Devices
Assessing all the devices is the first step from security point of view. You should first assess the device to know what the device will be used for and how they can be locked. Any application, service, and connected device that are not required or are condemned should be considered susceptible and restricted immediately.
Assessing the internal threats is not sufficient, assessing physical security is equally important. It can be easily exploited to infect a device because it’s not a method which provides physical proximity to the attacker with the host system. Whatever the thing may be a logged in user account with no screen lock or a server that can be easily restarted are all vulnerable. Therefore, one should keep a check on all these things.
5: Always Take Backup
The machine is only as reliable as the data we work with. Once its compromised, corrupt it loses all its integrity.
The safest way is to take data backup, using a good backup software with incremental backup feature is recommended. There’re several ways by which data backup can be taken. This backup works as a safe point in crucial times.
Apple’s backup application Time Machine for clients and servers, is a lightweight solution for backing up local data across multiple devices. In addition to this iCloud is an excellent cloud backup system. In built in all the latest version of Mac OS, it allows to restore data rapidly from any Apple device or modern web browser.
6: Encrypt Data
Data encryption alone will not help. To prevent ransomware from corrupting your you should use apps that helps to sandbox encrypted data. Thus, making it unreadable by any process outside the container application’s API.
Plus, you can also use whole-disk encryption software which does not permit any kind of altering when the user is logged out or the machine is shut down. Thus helping protect data, data cannot be infected or modified by ransomware.
Similarly, you can also use VPN and Proxy servers to secure your network and allow connectivity between trusted networks. Another effective way to is to set up filters set to quarantine untrusted, infected, or noncompliant systems.
7: Secure Boot Camp installations
Mac users do not prefer to use another OS on their machine. But some users do use technologies such as Boot Camp to use Windows on their Mac.
But they forget that this way they cannot protect their Windows, in fact they are making their Mac system weak. As now the administrative responsibilities are increased. since two OSes are to be managed. So before installing Windows make sure you take enough security measure.
These simple tips will surely help you to stay protected. However, there’s no guarantee that your machine will be infection free. But these steps if followed will surely create an additional layer of security which will give hackers a hard time. They will not be able to easily get in your system.
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How To Recover Hacked Microsoft Account?
With nearly everything available online, security is one of the biggest concerns of respective users. With numerous news about data leaks and privacy breaches, it is good to be on the cautious side of things and protect your privacy.
If you are concerned about the security of your accounts and think that your account data may be stolen, here I will discuss how to resolve if Microsoft’s account is hacked.
If you suspect that, your Microsoft account has been stolen, first and foremost you need to try to reset the password to prevent any further damage. To do so,
Sign in to your account on the official Microsoft page.
Under the security section, look for the ‘Change my password’ button under the password security section.
Complete the form to change your password.
If you do not have access to your account, there is a security form that you need to fill in order to gain back access to your hacked Microsoft account.
Note: if you previously enabled two-step verification, you won’t be able to use the recovery form.
You need a working email address that will be used to contact Microsoft and fill the details in the account recovery form. The email need not belong to you; it just needs to be easily accessible to you. Then follow these steps as said by Microsoft themselves:
Go to chúng tôi provide the email address, phone number, or username for the account you are trying to recover.
Provide an email address (other than the one you are trying to recover) that can be used to contact you about your request.
Enter the characters you see on the screen to prove you are not a robot, then select Next.
A screen will pop up asking you to verify the contact email address. Check that email for a message from us with the security code; enter that code, then select Verify.
Fill in as much info as you can, even if you are not sure.
Select Submit when you are finished, and wait for the response from the official team.
If the verification is successful, you will be provided with the instructions to recover your account.
Many hackers get your password using malware that has been installed on your PC without your knowledge. They can also gain the same information from attacking internet sites and phishing techniques.
Most hackers get your information from malwares installed on your system or through malicious internet sites. Infected systems are prone to data theft; hence running a full scan may help you find out the culprit.
If you do not wish to invest in third party premium antivirus software, you can opt from a host of free antivirus like Avast free antivirus, and antimalware like Malwarebytes. Run a full scan, and delete any infected files.
You may have shared your account details with some of your close friends or family, which can be a source of the leak. In addition, once Microsoft realizes that your account may be in jeopardy, it changes some settings to ensure the safety of your account.
Go through the settings of your account thoroughly and fine-tune your account to how you see fit.
Microsoft will require you to provide the last 4 digits of the phone number to prove that you know the number and that the corresponding phone is in your possession.
Online security is one of the top priorities of many people, and having your Microsoft account hacked can be a serious issue. To secure your account further, you can activate Two-step verification that will require you to enter a code from the authenticator application. Enable two-step verification from here.
3 Important Steps To Take When Your Instagram Account Is Hacked
Your Instagram account has been hacked… now what?
This is particularly scary for a business that relies on social media for its marketing efforts and earns traffic from Instagram.
Unfortunately, hackers can get into your Instagram account in less than 10 minutes if it is not secured properly.
A hacker will commonly do this in one of three ways:
Getting ahold of your login information.
Using third-party apps. Always revoke access to suspicious third-party apps. Never authorize an app that you do not trust to gain access to your personal information.
If you find yourself in a situation where you think your Instagram account has been hacked, it’s important to act quickly.
Follow these steps to help guide you to the recovery of your account.
3 Actions to Take When Your Instagram Has Been HackedIf you suspect your Instagram account has been hacked, here’s what to do.
1. Use Instagram Account RecoveryThis is where you request a login link (the Forgot password button) directly from Instagram.
Sometimes hackers are so quick to change your username and password that this will not work.
If your username is deemed invalid, continue onto step 2.
2. Report the Account Hacking to InstagramIf you are not able to recover your password due to the hacker changing it too quickly, the next step is to report it directly to Instagram.
When you hear back from Instagram, they will have you verify your identity for an extra measure of security. The process looks like this:
You will be sent a code directly from the site.
They will have you take a picture of yourself holding a piece of paper with the code (usually they prefer this to be a selfie).
They will also have you show the original email address or phone number that you used for the account.
Finally, Instagram will verify that you are in fact the user of the account by comparing the photo with your Instagram photos.
This is considered a surefire way for Instagram to recover your account because there essentially is no way to hack this system they have in place.
3. Check Your Login ActivityThis step is also found in your Instagram settings. Checking your login activity will show you every time someone has used your username and password combination to get into your account.
Doing this can help you to recognize suspicious logins to your account.
When checking your login activity, it will show the date and time of each login. This can sometimes be tricky to remember if it was you or someone else.
Pro Tips: Measures to Avoid Future Hackings Turn on Two-Factor AuthenticationThis step is critically important because it will minimize any future hacking, as well. Two-factor authentication is a security feature and setting it up is easy.
Simply go to your Instagram settings and enter a specific login code to confirm your login effort every time you (or someone else) attempts to go onto Instagram from a device that the platform does not recognize.
According to Instagram, there are several two-factor authentication methods you can use with your Instagram account.
To get started with two-factor authentication, choose either:
Text message (SMS) codes from your mobile phone.
Login codes from a third-party authentication app (such as Duo Mobile or Google Authenticator).
Confirm Your Phone Number & Email Address in Account Settings are CorrectThis is one of the first things hackers will change once they have a successful login. They will change your phone number and email address to one they can gain access to and you cannot.
If your phone number and/or email address have been changed, it is important to first change them back to your personal accounts, and then check for any suspicious activity that may have transpired on your page.
You must then follow all of these steps in this guide to secure your account.
Change Your Password for Instagram (and Your Email)Pick a strong password that is different than other passwords you commonly use on the internet.
If a hacker has your login information for Instagram, they may also have your email credentials. Make sure your email is secure by changing that password regularly, as well.
Pay Attention to Notifications from InstagramIf you receive an email or notification from Instagram recommending that you change your password, do it.
Navigate straight to Instagram and change your password there.
According to the platform:
During automated security checks, Instagram sometimes recovers login information that was stolen from other sites. If Instagram detects that your password may have been stolen, changing your password on Instagram and other sites helps to keep your account secure and prevent you from being hacked in the future.
The TakeawayIf your Instagram account has been hacked, there are measures in place that will help you regain access to your account.
Instagram is certainly aware that their social media platform is subject to hackers and those creating fake accounts, so they have administered new systems to help preempt these types of accounts. Learn more about these systems in place here.
If you follow this guide quickly after noticing a failed login, suspicious posts, or changed information, there is a good chance you will be able to recover your account.
If posts on your page have been wrongfully deleted, you can learn about how to recover deleted Instagram posts here.
Even if you have not been hacked, these tips are useful for additional security to prevent any future hacking that could unfortunately occur.
More Resources:
Can’t Sign Into Gmail Account? Try Google Account Recovery!
Gmail is one of the popular free email service providers. If you encounter the issue where you can’t sign into Gmail Account, then please read through this article for the cases and resolutions. Since the Gmail account is the same as your generic Google account, the issue could also be useful in you can’t sign into Google Account.
Can’t sign into Gmail AccountSince the causes could be different, we have discussed each case with the resolution. Thus, try the following solutions sequentially to resolve the issue in discussion:
Did you forget your password
Did you forget the username itself
Try account recovery
Make sure your account isn’t suspended or disabled
Clear browser cache and cookies
Change the browser
The issue is with 2-factor authentication
You are under 13 years of age
You are using VPN
Google or Gmail Recovery Tool 1] Did you forget your passwordIf you are trying to log in to your Gmail account and the specific error message is that the password is incorrect, then it is quite possible that you have forgotten your Gmail password. In this case, you can use the Gmail recovery tool. You will get a verification code at your registered phone number or alternate email ID.
2] Did you forget the username itselfIn case you forgot the username, then it could be an even more difficult problem. In this case, if you remember the associated phone number or alternate email ID, then try the username recovery tool at chúng tôi You will also need the full name associated with that account.
If you do not remember these credentials either, then you would have to ask a person to whom you remember sending an email in the past and ask him/her to check the senders email address.
3] Try account recoveryIf you are sure that you remember the username and password correctly and still are unable to log in, then try account recovery. But before that, be very sure that you are entering the right credentials. You can recover your account through the Gmail Recovery Tool whose link has been given above.
4] Make sure your account isn’t suspended or disabled 5] Check if cookies are turned OFFIf cookies are turned OFF on your browser, Gmail might not work properly. In this case, you can consider enabling cookies on your favorite browser. Once cookies are enabled for both the Google and Gmail website, it should work smoothly.
5] Clear browser cache and cookiesIf the cache and cookie files associated with Gmail and Google are corrupt, then the website associated with these files will also face problems. In this case, it will be a wise idea to delete these cache and cookie files. Don’t worry, they will rebuild themselves once you reopen the website.
6] Change the browserIf you have figured out that the problem is with the browser, then changing the browser will help isolate the cause. It can also serve as a useful workaround to temporarily fix the problem. However, if changing the browser doesn’t help either, the real issue has nothing to do with the browser itself.
7] Issue is with 2-factor authenticationIf your account uses 2-factor authentication, you will have to approve the same through a text message code to the registered phone number or the authenticator app. Now the thing is that most Android phones come pre-installed with the authenticator app. This means that you will not get an SMS, but it will prompt on your phone directly. So, you can approve accordingly.
8] You are under 13 years of ageGoogle allows users of age under 13 or as applicable per regional laws to use their services but only with family supervision. This is activated through the Family link. If you are trying to use Gmail against Google’s policies, it might not let you in.
9] You are using VPNIf you are using a VPN to log in to Google and the location has been chosen as a far-off destination, Google will not allow you to log in to Gmail. This is because it will assume that a cyber-criminal is trying to intrude into your account. Simply speaking, one person cannot change locations so soon.
One last case is if you are trying to log in to Gmail through third-party services like Microsoft Outlook. This is a vast topic for discussion and requires application-specific troubleshooting.
TIP: Locked out of Google Account? Follow these Google Account recovery steps
Is Gmail down today?If the Gmail or Google server is down, no matter what you try, you will neither be able to login to Gmail nor use its services if you were already logged in. In this case, it is important to check the status of the Gmail server, which can be done using online website monitor tools.
Why is Gmail not accepting my password?Read next: How to sign out of one Google account when using multiple accounts.
Ways To Change Gmail Password & Gmail Password Recovery
Ways To Change Gmail Password & Gmail Password Recovery
If you keep the most important documents on Gmail, it is recommended to change your password once a month and the password should be super strong to ensure that the account is not hacked, and you have all your documents and mailers safely on the cloud. To cut short all this hassle, we trusted on TweakPass Password Manager.
TweakPass is one of the unique software designed by Tweaking Technologies which is reaching a new user every minute. TweakPass Password Manager saves all your passwords in one vault which has the highest security encryption and access with one Master Password.
How To Change Gmail PasswordChange Gmail password automatically
The Manual MethodIf you already know your Gmail password and want to change it, you need to follow these steps.
Step 1. Go to your Gmail account and login using the current password.
Step 4. A new page will open with your Google account settings with ‘Personal Info’ highlighted in the top-left hand side panel.
Step 5. Under your profile summary, the 5th option would be for your Google Password. Here you can change Google Password after proper authentication and validating your account.
Step 6. It may ask you to enter your password to confirm it’s you who is trying to change Google Password.
Step 7. Enter a new password and save settings and exit out of the page.
Step 8. Enter the new Gmail password to your account and try to login to Gmail.
Also Read: How to Protect Your Gmail Account: A Quick Guide
If you don’t know your Gmail password and want to reset Gmail Password, you need to follow these steps.
Step 2. It will take you to Gmail password recovery options and ask you to enter the last known password to verify it’s you.
Step 6. Check the inbox, Spam or Bulk Mail folders of the alternate Email address or your Phone SMS messenger to look for the code.
Step 7. Check all the email addresses you might’ve used to sign up or sign in to your Gmail account.
Step 8. Enter the verification code and reset Gmail password on the next page of Gmail password recovery options. Choose a password that you haven’t already used with your Google account.
Change Gmail Password AutomaticallyTo ensure that you never forget Gmail password not only Gmail but for any other account regardless it’s a social networking account or your bank account, you should install a Password Manager. TweakPass Password Manager saves all your passwords in one vault which has highest security encryption and access with one Master Password. A Password Manager also comes with Password Generator which helps you to generate strong passwords on a regular interval and fill them automatically when you try to login to different sites.
How to Get TweakPass?Excited to get the TweakPass Password Manager on your system? Here are few basic steps to get this wonderful application installed on your system.
Step 2. It will ask you to fill in the signup information and to choose your Master Password. It’s very important to remember the Master Password and the Password Hint you enter while creating the account.
Step 3. Once you create your account, it will automatically browse and list out all your saved passwords and user information from the browsers to import into the TweakPass Account.
Step 4. Once you import the secured information to TweakPass vault, it will prompt you to install the extension for your browser to fill passwords, remember new passwords, autofill forms, and more actions.
Summing UpWe have covered how to change Gmail password and also covered Gmail password recovery options. Now we know Manual and Automatic methods to change and remember passwords on Google accounts and all other accounts that are important to us.
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