We all receive those oh so obvious spam emails, offering us thousands of dollars or asking us to click on some foreign link, but email security spam has developed far beyond that these days. Accessing your email account is as simple as pushing a button for some hackers out there, and most of them use specific programs to decipher your password and have your account at their disposal. Viruses, Spam, Phishing and Spyware are just waiting to get a hold of your email account and do their damage. You don’t need to have a thriving bank account to protect yourself against email threats, there are plenty of simple ways to secure your email account and make sure no one but you gets their hands on your email. Being prepared is half of the battle! Here are 4 simple steps to ensure email privacy.
Secure your password
Your email password is essentially the key to your email account. All your contacts, private emails and even online banking documents are protected by those few characters, so it’s important to create a strong, unique password that no one will be able to crack. The best way to do this is to pick something only you will remember and then add some capital letters, numbers and even symbols. You don’t want your password to be completely foreign to even you, so make sure it’s something special and memorable and if needed, write it down and keep it in a safe place, but try and avoid this if possible as you never know who might get their hands on it. Another important thing to remember is logging out. Log out of your email if you’re leaving your desk for a while. Remember to always log out if you use a friend’s computer and especially if you’re accessing Internet from a public place.
2-step verification
If you’re a Gmail user, you should definitely take advantage of their 2-step verification option. Similar to a lot of online banking security precautions, Gmail lets you pair up your email with your phone and each time you log in to your email, you’ll have to verify your account by entering a code they’ve text directly to your phone. Simple, quick and stretches your email security to great lengths! You will also be notified when someone is trying to access your email account, helping you avoid being hacked easily. If you’re not a Gmail user, we suggest you log on to your email host and look through the security preferences. There are a lot of small things you can set up to give you extra protection. Don’t get caught by email fraud! Think safe and be prepared!
Free spam filter software
Spam is more than just some annoying emails. Some spam can take over your whole system with one click of your mouse. Nowadays, spam can come in very clever disguises, so it’s definitely a good idea to download a free spam filter to once and for all get rid of the problem. Mailwasher is a free spam filter software that allows you to check and manage your emails before you download them to your computer where they can cause damage. Review your emails before they become a threat and breathe a bit easier knowing that your email is spam-protected. It’s user-friendly and has been downloaded by over 8 million users. Always remember; never open anything that doesn’t look safe. Avoid opening emails from addresses you don’t know and anything that seems like a scam, probably is.
Encryption
When sending important and private information via email, you don’t want anyone but the intended receiver to get their hands on that info. That’s where encryption software comes in! Encrypting information frequently is simple with free software like PrivateSky or Enlocked for your email. This software allows you to send your delicate info via a password-protected email that only the intended reader has access to. This will really come in handy if you regularly send sensitive information via an email client like Yahoo! or Gmail. You can also encrypt files by using a word processor built-in encryption or saving your files to be emailed as ZIP files. Don’t send any important information via email without encrypting them first!
Author Byline:
This is a post by D. Blackthorn – online security expert who understands all the risks of email spam.