
Being a most sought-after and adorable email services since last one decade; Gmail has built a healthy reputation in the online world by making necessary changes in the email services; where lot many email service providers are still looking to retain their identity with a lot of competitors offering qualitative email services.
With amazing features and outstanding robust technology, Gmail has topped the charts among the top 20 email service providers. As Google Inc has developed amazing email technology to offer users, incredible email services with 20 GB space is offered to each and every user in his/her particular Gmail account.
Though security provided by Google to its registered email users, is undoubtedly secure of what provided by email servers but no one can predict a dooms day. It’s really hard to believe when email service provider like Google is offering security to the email users, there’s still a chance that users may get prey to hackers, phishers, and scammers spinning the web.
Well! there’s been applauding news about Google offering intense security to Gmail as the king of all search engines has offered advanced features to its email services in order to make users feel more secure. The new security features encapsulated in Gmail services have changed the things drastically with no signs of loopholes seen upon which cyber crime activities can be plotted. There are essential security tips offered by Google Inc for the convenience of web mail users to strengthen their account security from any possible threat.
There are certain security tips offered by Google Inc that seem to be a bit complex at first stage but upon following the instructions, it will look extremely convenient for users to follow. Here are top 10 Gmail security tips that can be really helpful to secure your Google email account:
- 2- Step Verification:
- HTTPS Security
- Granted Account Access
- Examining, filter, forwarding, and POP/IMAP
- Revoke Unauthorized Access
- Track Account Activity
- Embrace Security Plug-in
- Enhance Security Question’s Answer
- Create A Strong Password
Is There Any Secure Way to Prevent Gmail Account from Hackers?
As hackers been troubling the Gmail users to such an extent, the latter are really disturbed and with no options or secure way available to prevent Google email account from getting compromised on an unexpected basis. As many of the email users do not know how to secure Gmail account from hackers, the below-mentioned tips (with explanation) can be really helpful to prevent Google account from getting compromised.
Now, we will be discussing Gmail Account Security Tips in detail to secure the same from hackers
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Enable 2- Step Verification:
In order to prevent hacking or online theft, security feature has been incepted by Google, which will definitely go on to offer comprehensive security. In short, using 2- step verification, you are offered with a complete layer of security, which works effectively at the time of account access which reduces the chance of email account compromise unless and until the control of your mobile phone is in the hands of cyber criminals.
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Activating HTTPS Security:
By enabling HTTPS security, accessing your Gmail account in public or non-encrypted networks will provide you much-needed security of the personal details that are entered during login into email account, Disabled or enabled HTTPS means a lot as non-encrypted network without enabled HTTPS, give a chance to hackers and make things easier for them as they can make way into your Gmail account by creating a path open without hurdles as your email account is not secure with SSL layer.
Though you will find HTTPS enabled by default at the time of Gmail account access but it’s always recommended to ensure that HTTPS option is enabled.
In order to perform the check whether HTTPS is enabled or not, certain steps need to be undertaken such as:
- Login into Google Email account using authentic user id and password
- Once logged in successfully, navigate your mouse towards gear icon seen on the top right side of the interface.
- Once you click on the gear icon, you will find settings option accessing which General and browser connection option is displayed. Click on the option to see HTTPS is enabled or not. If it is not enabled, click on the option “Always use HTTPS”.
- Do remember to save the changes.
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Analyze Granted Account Access:
As many suspicious activities happening consistently in your Gmail account, it is always advised to check the grant account access settings. It is really necessary as a hacker if gets a chance to intrude in your Gmail account, the fake account can be added from his side in your email account for easier future access and compromising the account for stealing important details; whenever he wants to do so.
To check the grant account access, the user needs to follow certain steps:
- Login into Google Email account using authentic user id and password
- Once logged in successfully, navigate your mouse towards gear icon seen on the top right side of the interface.
- Once you click on the gear icon, you will find settings option accessing which you need to proceed to account and import option and then click on grant access on your account.
- Now check whether any unknown email address is being reflected which you didn’t authorize to be there.
- Also, enable the option “Mark conversation as read when opened by others” by checking the box that someone is reading your emails without authorization.
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Check Enabled Filters, Forwarders and POP/IMAP
Story of email account compromise generally starts when the user is already logged into his/her email account and moves on to access the insecure or harmful website. The information is gathered by the harmful website from Gmail account through a backdoor which is a filter.
Filters generally transfer email till the time the victim has filters within the account. Therefore it’s always recommended to remove or delete suspicious filters which can be done easily by following the simple steps:
- Login into Gmail account and click on settings gear
- Then click on the option ‘Filters’ to check the filter you don’t even recognize or it was not added by you.
- Delete the filters which you haven’t created and are quite harmful.
Also keep a check on the POP/IMAP tab in order to confirm that there are no unrecognized email addresses seen by clicking on this tab which will help you prevent the important emails getting auto forwarded or redirected to an unknown email address
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Revoke Unauthorized Access:
You need to revoke unauthorized access whenever you find any unauthorized access to your email account. All you can do it by clicking on the option revoke access Revoke access to all kind of third party application.
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Track Account Activity
Check the recent account activity after accessing Gmail Inbox. Gmail created by Google Inc has amazing security features but who knows when it gets paralyzed with the sudden hacking attempts made by scammers.
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Embrace Security Plug-in:
No matters how strong your account security is, you might get tricked by situation created by scammers and phishers. In order to inhibit these situations, adopt browser plug-in security at the earliest which will strengthen your account security to huge extent by blocking the access of phishing or un-trusted websites by removing threats through web of trust plug-in which is certified and secure plugin that can prevent user from getting prey to scammers by accessing potentially bad website.
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Enhance Security Question’s Answer:
Keep updating the answers of security question as well as always have a habit to change security questions from time to time as hackers generally compromise email account by modifying answer of security questions known to them. Making modifications can really prevent hacking of Gmail account to huge
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Create A Strong Password:
Creating strong password should be a top priority for everyone. Along with that enabling 2- step verification can be your best guard to prevent your account against malicious attempts. Hackers generally look for such loopholes in email account security and implement things quickly to take over the account for stealing important documents. But with regular changes in the password of Gmail account using invulnerable characters as per the protocol mentioned, you can make the things really difficult for hackers to deal with.
How to use Google Last Account Activity Feature?
Other than following these above-mentioned tips, Gmail last account activity feature need to be brought into practice by registered Google email users in order to keep a check and report if any kind of unfamiliar activity is noticed on their email account by checking its recent activity.
As If you are one among those users, who do not know how to check last activity in Gmail Account, then these below-listed steps will be really helpful to help you know the recent activity in the Gmail account if someone else has tried to peep into the email Inbox. You can easily monitor the recent activity in your Gmail account by going through these steps
- Sign-in into Gmail account by entering authentic login credentials
- Once you are into the inbox dashboard, you can have a glance at the recent account activity as the inbox dashboard window is scrolled down.
- Click on the details link to analyze your Gmail account last activity feature.
- Check the details that include country and IP of internet service provider along with access types such as POP or IMAP.
- If you notice someone else logged in to your Gmail account, the details will be displayed in a concurrent session.
- Just click on the button “Sign Out from All other sessions”
- Once clicked on the same, a new screen appears in which you can modify the alert preference by clicking on the change button.
- Now select the option “Show an Alert on Unusual Activity”. If Google identified any kind of unusual or suspicious activities, the suspicious message will be displayed on your screen.
- As you see the suspicious message on the top of inbox dashboard message, take appropriate actions by changing your email account password as well as make modifications in answers of security questions. Other than this, amendments need to be made in the alternative email address and its password as well recovery phone number on an urgent basis to secure the same from malicious activities conducted by hackers.
Why Am I Getting Security Warnings on Google? Please Explain
People generally get confused upon receiving warning messages on Google. As people are not able to find any answer regarding the same, they generally ask their known ones or contact Gmail technical support team to get an answer for their question “Why am I Getting Security Warning on Google”. There are only one answer with Google customer support experts, which is No. “We do not send any such warning”
It’s a fact. These security warnings are not actually sent by Google but by scammers; who give false notifications regarding virus attack warnings in the form of frustrating POP-ups which do not get closed and freeze the browser and device once the user clicks on OK button.
Other reasons behind consistent security warning displayed on Google is a sudden compromise of your Gmail account and OS of the device in which email account was last accessed. Scammers are technically sound and they create channels to get access to the OS device on which Gmail was last accessed. Other reasons are clicking on the ads displayed on your device doing which the security warning popup with clone Interface of Google, starts getting displayed on the screen. They are quite robust that users are not able to stop or remove them due to freezing up of web browser and device OS.
With no other option available rather than dialing a toll-free number mentioned on the screen, it’s clearly proved that this a ploy of scammers to generate money from internet users using this kind of fake notifications of security warning. The root cause of this security warning is adware and ransomware files that intentionally make in your device through the websites you access daily, without being aware that they are secure or not.
In order to fix this troublesome problem, it’s always advised to contact Gmail technical support team and contact the support team of OS, which is installed on your device. The certified professionals working at the customer support center; delivers instant resolution and remove all such unsolicited files hidden in your PC or Smartphone device. These adware and ransomware files are the root cause of the sudden eruption of security warning messages through irritating popup and can be flushed out in shortest time span by running a device scan and flush them in no time before things get out of control.