4 Necessary Steps to Secure Your Gmail Account

Source: 4 Necessary Steps to Secure Your Gmail Account

Gmail is used by people all across the world for sending and receiving messages, email, presentations as attachments, and many more. The extensive use of Gmail accounts is not limited only to individuals, but also it has been spread to private institutions, small and big companies, corporate, universities, etc. However, the use of Gmail is widely considered safe and secure, and most of the people think that their online data is very much secure on their Gmail accounts. But, it is not true as there exist cybercriminals or naughty people who are continually looking for opportunities to snoop into your private online data to misuse it accordingly.

Most of the people just after setting a simple password start thinking that now cybercriminal will not fetch to their data but instead of hoping this, the users should spend some extra 10 minutes and secure their Gmail accounts by following the below-given guidelines:-

1. Using a Strong Password

It has been seen that many people use the simple and straightforward password to protect the privacy of their Gmail account. Such passwords often include the name of any of their loving person or a birthdate or a phone number. The people often reuse the password for login into their all accounts across multiple sites, and the cybercriminals wait only for such things. Any breach or leak of the services makes you vulnerable to cybercrimes, and so it is essential to set an exceptional password generated randomly. The users can use a password manager, which keeps track of every password available. Also, you can go to the Google account page and then tap on the password option after signing in to the section Google to change or create a new strong password.

2. Enabling two-step verification

The cybercriminals can access your entire accounts on Google, whether its Gmail, Google Pay, or YouTube if you are using only a password without enabling two-step verification. The reuse of the same password to open every Google account will only need a breach or leak to make your entire online information vulnerable to online threats. If you enable two-step verification, also known as two-factor authentication, then the cyber thefts will need a six-digit passcode generated randomly along with your password to access your accounts.

The users can enable two-factor authentication by visiting the Security page of Google, and then they need to click on 2-step verification. If the users want to use alerts, then they can click on Try it now option, and they will receive the alerts by text message, or the users can get access by going to the password manager. The users can get the passcode by clicking on the option, Please choose another option, and they need to move to the Text message or Voice call further. In the next steps, you will need to enter the code along with entering your phone number to turn on the 2 step verification.

3. Looking into the Account activity

Sometimes, it may happen that some mischievous person is snooping into your account and you do not know about it. In such a case, the users should check the account activity by signing into their account, and when they start scrolling down, then a line will appear stating the Last account activity. Further, the users can tap on the option Details to check when, where, and how their accounts have been used. If you are finding any suspicious activity, then tap Sign out from your all Google accounts and then change your passwords immediately.

4. Checking up your Back up contact methods

The users should remain cautious regarding the process of backing up your contacts. The users can visit the section Recovery phone and email and then update the current information by attempting security questions.

Daniel Ryan is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about security. He writes about the latest updates regarding office.com/setup and how it can improve the work experience of users. His articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs and websites.