Your Gmail account allows you to access all of Google. Therefore, it is very important that your email account stays safe. This article outlines some security measures you can follow.
1. Make sure that you have a strong password.
The challenge here is to create a password that is easy to remember but hard for others to guess.
There are a lot of suggestions available but most websites follow the best practices below:
- Choose a password that is at least 8 characters long.
- Your password should contain at least one of the following: lower case letter, upper case letter, numeric value, and a special character.
- Avoid using names or nicknames of family members, friends, and even pets.
- Avoid using information about yourself such as name, nickname, username, birth date, phone number, address, plate number and many others.
- Avoid sequential numbers and letters.
Additional recommendations we should be mindful of are:
- Don't use dictionary words or any word from any language.
- Don't use only 1 password for several accounts.
- Update your passwords every 3 to 6 months.
- Never write your passwords down.
- Don't share your password to anyone.
- Never send your password to anyone via email, SMS, or instant messaging apps.
- Refrain from using public computers especially when trying to access highly sensitive websites such as online banking.
- Change your password immediately if you feel that it is compromised.
- Don't use the browser's "Remember password" option if you are sharing a computer with someone.
- Don't type your password when someone is watching behind or beside you.