I was just on gmail like 10 minutes ago tried logging back on and it wouldn't let me. Never gave my password to any phishing scams anyone or anything EVER. I'm sweating bullets right now. I'm done posting in P/l thread . My ipod touch also had my gmail account linked to it with saved password and it won't let me loggin or recover my password. I read that gov't officials gmail accounts were also hacked from the Chinese last week. Anyone else experiencing this. I had so many google docs and emails that i really really need. Information on there could ruin me. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_18187156?nclick_check=1
I feel for you! However, lots of Web-mail account hacking is pure stupidity. If you use 123 as a passowrd or your name+123 or you-date-of-birth+your-name, you are seriously vulnerabel to hacking by newbies. Then if some Web-mail services don't encrypt passwords properly. So, if you use the same password across multiple accounts, you are vulnerable. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/feb/17/wikileaks-internet
back late last year i guy i know had bots using his gmail to forward junk messages for viagra under his gmail name...They had all his email list sent the junk.. I think it went away a couple of days later.
The email password I used was exclusive to that account and wasn't easy, All I can say is whoever did it is good. If they can hack citi, and gov't officials emails like the Chinese did last week then they can certainly hack anyone. I used google docs which is part of gmail. Those documents, had enough info for anyone to steal my identity, bank account info, brokerage info, login passwords for everything. I trusted Cloud computing from google because I thought it would be better to keep it on there than on my hardrive in case of crash, fire, ect. Guess not, I will have to have a separate hard drive with everything on it and put it in a fireproof safe from now on. Good lesson , but it sucks right now, still can't recover the account which had ALL my contacts, documents, passwords, ect. Google provides zero live support for these issues, it's all automated recovery. Don't trust cloud computing, even google. Lesson learned.
Another thing I just thought of for anyone else that wants max protection, Whenever your browser asks if you want to "remember password" so you don't have to type it in over and over. Don't save it. A trojan horse or virus could probably pick that up from your computer pretty easily.
would it be beneficial for those you have contracts with and correspond info with you thru gmail to hack your acct
My yahoo account was hacked although all the hackers did was send a couple people on my contact lists spam. I never would have known if I didnt get an error one day saying there was a failure to deliever an email to one of those people. It was then I checked my sent folder and saw a few emails that were sent but not by me. I changed my password, but it happened again. Luckily its only a few emails it sends off...maybe 6 or 7 in the last year.
This is a golden rule. Also E-mail should be preferably done on the "surfing" computer. E-mail messages may contain remote images, Web-links etc. Two things: 1) A better way to back-up is one of the remote backup services. Some even come free with internet security subscription. Free Web-mail is inherently insecure. Someone might know just enough to answer the "secret" questions and "recover" your password. Or if you registered your mobile with gmail, a person who took possession of your "misplaced" mobile phone can use it to "recover" password. 2) Encrypotion helps. Something like PGP has capacity to stop most less determined hackers. Finally, for experienced hackers it's more interesting a challenge to steal the E-mail password without changing it. For example, if you don't know someone stole yoru credit card info, you won't hurry to cancel the card. If the password changed, most likely password recovery was used. Who would know enough about you to answer the "secret" question? People you know. Someone like a girlfriend who thinks you cheated on her.