Since Gmail and other Google services are an integral part of many individuals and organizations’ workflow and functioning, securing accounts should be a priority. As such, ensuring passwords are as secure as possible would be ideal. Thankfully, there are many ways like the items below that you can do to Keep your Gmail Password secure.
Avoid Reusing Passwords
Reusing passwords across logins is a bad practice in online security. In 2019, about 80% of data breaches occurred due to password hacking. With this in mind, if your Gmail password is the same as other sites or apps, there’s a very high risk for account compromise. If a site got hacked, criminals might try to use stolen passwords on other websites, like Google, to cause more damage.
As a precaution, assigning unique passwords to each site and app is ideal. Also, if you have multiple accounts, using a password manager would help. By getting one, users will only need to remember one password, generate strong ones, and sync and access login details across devices.
Use a Strong Password
A password’s strength is measurable by entropy. It means, the more complicated a password is, the harder it will be for hackers to crack. As a result, security researchers recommend creating passwords with a minimum of eight characters with upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special symbols. Additionally, having the longest password that’s still possible to remember would be the best case. Again, using a password manager would simplify this process.
Change Password Regularly
Even if you have a strong password, it’s still a good practice to change it regularly. Given how vast the Internet is, one might not always know about a particular data breach, massive hacking, or exploits. Accordingly, security researchers recommend changing passwords every one or two months for improved online security.
Check Your Account’s Vulnerability
While most companies disclose data breaches, some refuse to do so or wait for months and years to announce. To check your Gmail account’s vulnerability, use a tool like Have I been pwned. Using this website, users can learn if their emails became victims of data breaches or hacking.
Monitor Account Activity
Yes, using a strong password can protect your account from hackers. However, there are still many vulnerabilities that can compromise accounts. In this case, regularly checking a Google account’s recent activities would help:
1. Go to Google account settings and open the “Security” tab.
2. Look for the “Recent security activity” section and click “Review security activity.” 3. Scroll through the list and open an activity item.
Manage Account Devices
If a hacker manages to log in to a Gmail account to another device, there’s a chance that the user’s data and password are at risk. Luckily, Google allows users to view and manage all devices connected to their accounts easily:
1. Go to Google account settings and open the “Security” tab.
2. Look for the “Your devices” section and click “Manage Devices.”
3. Choose a device and click the three-dotted menu.
4. Click the “Sign out” button to remove the device’s access to your account.
Setup Account Recovery Options
Since Gmail and other Google services are popular due to their ease of use, changing passwords is also a quick process. Consequently, it’s vital to set up recovery options to prevent others from changing your account’s password:
1. Go to Google account settings and open the “Security” tab.
2. Look for the “Ways we can verify it’s you” section and click “Recovery phone.”
3. Type in the password and hit the “Next” button. Press the “ADD RECOVERY PHONE” text, input your phone number, and click “NEXT.”
4. Click the “Recovery email” section, type in the password, and press the “Next” button. 5. Fill in another email and press the “Save” button to complete the process.
Manage Gmail Account Websites and Apps Access
Given how knowledgeable cybercriminals are, malicious websites and applications can steal user data, including Google’s. Also, since individuals can register to a service using their Google accounts, password leaks are riskier than ever. Thankfully, some ways help protect your Gmail account from these exploits. Aside from avoiding using Google Sign-in to 3rd parties, it’s also possible to view and manage apps and sites that have access to an account:
1. Go to Google account settings and open the “Security” tab.
2. Look for the “Signing in to other sites” section and click “Signing in with Google.” 3. Toggle the “Google Account sign-in prompts” option to prevent Google account site and app access. 4. View all site and app items, select and click one.
5. Read its access data or press the “REMOVE ACCESS” button to stop the service’s connection to your account.
Keep Your Gmail Password Secure with Boxysuite
Yes, securing your Gmail account’s password should be a priority. However, that’s not only what the email service is all about. In other words, making use of its features in the best way possible is also essential. If you agree and you’re using a Mac, you’ll love Boxysuite.
As the only native Gmail macOS app, users can access features that are not present on the tool’s web version. System-integrated Dark Mode, Multiple Accounts Easy Switching and Management, Multi-window Support, Better Notifications, and Dock Icon Alerts Counter – you name it. Try Boxysuite today!
Also Check: How to Secure a Gmail Account?
