Hackers having been making people’s lives difficult since the Internet became popular. If you are like many, you store very personal information in your email account. When your Gmail account is hacked, it can quickly become a recipe for disaster. It is important to know how to tell if your Gmail account has been hacked before all of your passwords and sensitive information is at-risk. If you do not want to breach to go unnoticed, it is important to know how to spot a hacking when it takes place.
Here are some valuable tips on what you should look for and what you should do to prevent your gmail account from being compromised in the future.
Steps to Take to See If a Hacker Has Accessed Your Gmail Account
If you suspect that your account has been compromised, there are ways you can verify that an unwanted intruder has been granted access.
Find the information you need in your Gmail account:
- Last Account Activity – On the top of your inbox, there is a link that directs you to “Last Account Activity”. When you click this, you are given a “Details” options.
- Review the Activity – When the details are displayed, you will see a list of all of the recent activity on your account. The sessions will be organized by the type of activity and will also show when your account was accessed and by what IP address. Make sure you review the IP address that is listed and verify that this is your IP address. You should also look for suspicious activity where your email was accessed at times of the day that you are not logged on.
- Look Up the IP Address – If you are not sure of your IP address or you have used other computers to access your email account, you can use Google’s free IP address lookup tool. Simply type this into the browser and you will be able to see if the IP address is suspicious or not.
- How to Prevent Future Hacks – Now that you know what to look for, there are ways to prevent a hack from happening in the future.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Change Your Password – Changing your password is one of the easiest ways to stay secure. You cannot use simply words or phrases and expect them to stick. Combine two or more words with numbers and scramble these words and numbers together. This will be very difficult for a hacker to figure out.
- Revoke Access – You have probably granted several sites and apps access to your account without even knowing. Check your account details by selecting “Authorized Access to your Google Account” and look for sites you do not recognize. Select “Revoke Access” and this will make your account more secure.
NOTE: There is no way to ensure your gmail account will be 100 percent secure. With this being said, there are ways to make your private information safer and less accessible to those who should not be able to access your account. Consider these tips, do your research, and change your passwords frequently.
