Recently makeuseof tech blog domain was hacked and owner blackmailed. They did manage to get domain back without paying a penny but the whole ordeal left many wondering “IS GMAIL UNSAFE to store sensitive information?” Now, Gmail team has spoken and explained in details about ‘what could have happened?’.
Their investigation show no evidence of a Gmail vulnerability and few Gmail users were victim of phishing. Such terms are ‘not so simple’ for average Gmail user to understand, but following are few ‘so simple’ steps to keep your Gmail safe & sound from attackers:
1. GMAIL LOGIN URL
www.gmail.com is redirected to https://www.google.com/accounts URL, whenever you try to login into Gmail. If that does not happen – STOP and don’t login. So, always enter your Gmail login details at this URL https://www.google.com/accounts
2. TURN ON https SETTINGS
Enable ‘Always use https’ option in settings for more secure Gmail. For this: click on ‘settings’ link at the top, then under ‘general’ tab scroll down and check for ‘Browser connection’. Click and highlight ‘Always use https’ options and click on save changes button. From now on, your Gmail URL will be https://mail.google.com, instead of http://mail.google.com – more secure!
3. CONFIRM RECEPIENT OF SENSTIVE INFORMATION
While sending reply or new emails with sensitive information, make sure you confirm the recipient’s credential. You should know the recipient as genuine and just dont send sensitive information to anyone asking for it. Be careful from google like but fraudulent domains like (google-hosts.com, mybankk.com, g00gle.com) asking for such information!
4. BE CAREFUL OF FANCY & FABULOUS OFFERS
You must have come across email saying lot of wealth has been left in so called South African bank and you need to pass on your address (telephone no etc) to claim that wealth. All this is crap and stay away from ever replying them. This also include: confirmation of a lottery win, Viagra, free $ex and lots more. Think and then reply!
5. SECURE WEB BROWSER & COMPUTER
You should always use latest stable version of web browser (don’t use beta versions, they are meant for testing and not for normal web browsing). Make sure phishing filter is ON in your web browser (if available). Also, keep updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software for secure computer.
Above were few basic steps that can ensure safety of information in Gmail. If there is any other step or precaution one can take for safer Gmail, please do share by adding a comment.
