How to secure your Gmail account

(Credit: Gmail logo)

 

CNET - Google recently learned a lesson in security when it found that hundreds of user e-mail accounts, including ones belonging to U.S. and Chinese government officials, had been hacked.
Hackers are professionals in their field who prey on unknowing (and sometimes even tech-savvy) individuals. With the rise in hacks recently, it's time to check to see if your Gmail account is secure.

Below you'll find five best practices for securing your Gmail account. Each one is free, built into Gmail, and easily configured.

1: Enable two-step verification
All that hackers need to access your Google account (including YouTube, Gmail, and Blogger) is your password, which they can acquire with a phishing scam or when you accidentally expose your password. To address this issue, Google now offers two-step verification, in which Google will send you an SMS with a special code that you enter as the second part of the log-in process.

2: Be a password strategist
When choosing a password, there are two things you should be doing. First, choose a password that is unique to your Gmail account--don't use it for any other service. Once you've chosen a password, head to Password Meter to check its strength.     More