Five Tips For Securing Your Email From Hackers

Hackers are a fact of life. Just about every company has had its email account(s) hacked at one time or another. Back in the old days, hackers would send a Trojan horse of some type that would change your computer ID and possibly download malware to your computer. Nowadays, however, most hackers are aware of just how intrusive these types of attacks are and target your email account with a better chance of success.

Hackers are becoming more sophisticated, and they're increasingly targeting email accounts.

But there are ways to keep your information secure. Here are five tips for securing your email account from hackers:

1. Make Sure Your Password Is Strong And Changed Often.

Using an easy-to-remember password is convenient, but it's also risky because hackers will try common passwords first when attempting to break into accounts. A strong password is one that's long and contains different types of characters (numbers, letters, symbols). If someone tries to guess it, they'll have a harder time and may give up. We recommend using a password manager to generate strong passwords.

2. Don't share passwords with anyone.

3. Use two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible.

Two-factor authentication (or 2FA) requires a user to provide two types of credentials, like a password and a code sent to a mobile device, before accessing an account. This means that even if someone else has your password, they won't be able to log in without having access to your phone or other devices where you keep the secondary authentication code.

4. Watch for phishing attacks and don't click on links sent in emails (even if they appear to be from legitimate sources).

5. Install security software on all devices that access your email account.

Most likely, the hackers will continue to find ways to attack your accounts, and you need to be prepared. The steps I've outlined above are all basic security tips for any user and will help protect you against a variety of attacks. But never forget that you're only as secure as your weakest link: if you use your social media accounts poorly, or don't encrypt your files, or leave a password reminder on your desk, then good security elsewhere won't prevent hackers from finding an opening—your own carelessness might. In other words, try to be as diligent in securing yourself as you are securing your web properties. Future hacking attempts can almost always be prevented by simply being more vigilant when it comes to protecting our own private information.