We often forget how we depend on our email these days, thanks to our smartphone; everyone now must have an email address to use it. But then, we might not take enough precaution to make it more secure. Our email address contains so many private and important data to us. We can’t no longer just leave it unattended. So here’s how we make it more secure:
1. Always open your email address in your private gadget with your private connection
Although you use your own gadget with your own private connection, there are several things you need to do:
- Make sure you install and update your anti-virus. For free source you can use avast, avg, or avira.
- Update your browser and open your email in secure connection, instead of visiting http:// visit https:// for secure connection. On latest update of Mozilla and Google Chrome, they indicate the http:// site as a non-secure connection and put cross padlock in the left corner of the email address and for yahoo and Google mail, the most favorite use for free email provider they even redirect you to https:// even though you write http://
- Have a complicated password, using “123456” or “password” or “qwerty” is not the best password to use. Try to use number, capital, symbol and small letter for the password. Yes it’s not easy to remember, my secret is to complicate my password then write it in a note
- It saver to plug your laptop for connection, but hey, sometimes you want to use your laptop in the kitchen, while waiting for dinner or any place at your home. But if you using your private Wi-Fi, somebody still can hack it using network sniffers, so you need to set your WPA key.
- Always remember that neither official company nor their employee will need your email password. You can spread your email address to friends, families or colleagues but keep your password on your own.
- Added extra layers, those email providers sometimes give a precaution for securing your email address by asking another way to recover your account such as phone number, other email address or security question. But keep in mind to put it in your notes in case you forget about it.
2. What if you have to open it in public computer?
Although we have our own gadget from smart phone, to iPad then laptop, we might end up have to check our email in public computer or cybercafé. Then how we make sure it secure?
- If we open an email in the browser, sometimes they ask whether we want the browser to remember about the password or not. Always check never remember password for this site. I even do this in my personal laptop, in case someone need to use my laptop, I don’t have to bother if I’d already sign out or not.
- Another IMPORTANT stuff, always remember to sign-out from your account. The amount of people who forget to sign-out from their account is surprising, sometimes they just click the X button in the browser and thought it already close, for your own safety, please click the sign out button in the right corner.
- Clear cache and cookies in the browser
3. What if you have to use public Wi-Fi?
- My simple and easy advice, don’t use public Wi-Fi. Its better if you using your own private connection from your smart phone. It has hotspot menu for a reason. Because Wi-Fi stores your username and password, hacker can easily have access to your email account.
Guest article written by: Sita R. Paramita lives in a Big City in a Beautiful Country call Indonesia. Has a previous job in Microsoft Partner for training and education, opened her eyes that talking about technology should be simplified and easy to understand, to walk the talk, she became a freelance writer for B2B Tech and Marketing Industries.