How to Protect Gmail Account From Hackers? - For Free & Business User

Nowadays, the majority of the business are online, and most of us are strongly connected with Androids, Gmail, Docs, Contacts, etc. The bulk of our sensitive information is stored in the email account and most people don’t even realize the vulnerability of their email accounts. What if your Gmail account got compromised? All your Google applications containing confidential emails, documents, images, bank statements, address books (contacts) will be gone forever. Moreover, hackers may get access to accounts linked with your Gmail account, such as Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Instead of wishing that hacker don’t find you, it better to take a few minutes and protect Gmail account from hackers attack. This article will help you to understand the techniques using which you can secure your Gmail account. Here, we will provide the step-by-step solution that you can even share with your friends, family, and co-workers to ensure their Gmail account remains safe and secure.

Step 1: Activate Two Factor Authentication In Your Gmail Account

The two-factor authentication is an additional layer of protection, without which hackers will only require your account password to gain access to your complete Google account – including Gmail, Contacts, Documents, Youtube, Google Play, etc. Whereas with 2 step authentication hacker would require a password and randomly generated password to access your account.

To enable two-step authentication visit: https://myaccount.google.com/security/ and choose the “2-Step Verification” option. Then from 2 step verification page, click on Get Started button to proceed. Next, you will be prompted to login into your Gmail account for authenticating that you are a valid user. In the next prompt, enter your phone number for receiving OPT, additionally choose the medium for code: Text or Call. Next, you need to enter the OTP received at your registered phone number. Once the PIN is validated, you just need to click on the TURN ON button in the next window.

Step 2: Use Strong and Unique Password

Generally, most users are guilty that their account got compromised – reusing simple passwords such as your phone number, dob, child name, etc. However, reusing the same password for multiple site login is just a ‘cherry on the cake’ for a hacker. All a hacker need is to leak or breach one account and it will take no time to crack your other linked accounts. It’s time to stop using similar as well as weak passwords for a site login and use randomly generated password login in. The passwords generated with the help of a random generator are quite strong and hard to break.

For generating a new password, visit https://myaccount.google.com/security and login into your Gmail account. Then, from the security section, select create a new password. Enter the newly generated password (make sure it's randomly generated or contains letters+digits+special corrector combo).

Step 3: Revoke Access to 3rd Party Applications

Go to your My Account section to revoke access to unrecognized applications and websites. If any of them got compromised, then it's possible that your private information may get leak too. So it is advisable to keep your account clean by regularly checking and remove access to a non-essential application linked with your Gmail account.

Step 4: Remove Spam Mails

Most of the hackers use spam mails for attacking Gmail accounts by using phishing software and links. Accessing these mails might cause you big trouble. Hacker can gain access to your complete account and also cracks linked accounts. It is recommended to regularly delete emails from the SPAM folder in Gmail and try to avoid opening them when received.

Step 5: Add Recovery Account

If by any chance a hacker gains access to your Gmail account, then you can quickly recover your account using a recovery account. Additionally, using this you can block any un-authorized personnel to gain access to your account without your permission. Moreover, Google will notify you with a mail if any suspicious login attempt is made for your account. To enable it, you just need to visit My Account and provide a recovery account and phone number.

Step 6: Save Copy of Account Data

Though the above 5 steps are sufficient to protect Gmail account from hacker attacks, it doesn’t mean it's impossible to hack your Gmail account. As the technology is increasing and the hackers are also advancing, it is recommended to archive Gmail emails and other applications locally for safekeeping. Luckily Google provides its own utility (Google Takeout) for backup, but its only saves emails in MBOX file. Alternatively, there are many automated third-party Gmail backup tools that can save a copy of Google account in multiple formats and quite quickly.

Why do we care?

Many hackers are lurking to access your Gmail account. It is advised to protect Gmail account from hackers using the aforementioned steps. Moreover, try not to open attachments in mails from an unknown user. It might be possible that if you open such emails, you might end up compromising your email account as well as the system. By taking a few measures you can simply secure your Gmail account and its data. Additionally, follow the additional layer of protection by saving a copy of your account data on a local system or external hard drive for safekeeping.