email – PSafe Blog

How to Tell If My Email Has Been Hacked

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 21:00:03 +0000

Email is one of the leading forms of digital communication and anyone can create a personal account for free. Also, email is the primary form of access used by websites and apps on the internet. Social networks like Facebook and Instagram, shopping sites, and even Google Play, all request email to create logins and register their users. And because of this reason, it’s become so popular among people and also among hackers to target.

Strategy for Hacking Email Accounts

Cases involving hacked email are more common than you might think. Emilio Simoni, security expert at dfndr lab, PSafe’s digital security lab, explains that phishing is the most commonly used practice for hacking an email account.

“Phishing is fake pages that induce the user to provide sensitive data. In this particular case, if a cybercriminal is interested in stealing accounts from an email provider such as Gmail and Hotmail, he or she will create a fake page identical to the original email provider to trick a victim,” explains Simoni.

Generally, phishing attacks are fake campaigns containing misleading promotional messages aimed at stealing access credentials such as logins and passwords. “To attack, hackers mass-mail these campaigns through email and SMS to reach the largest number of users,” reports Simoni.

Risks to Users

Email is the “gateway” to other services on the internet. So, if one account is hacked, a cybercriminal will be able to change the password of virtually every service logged in to your email. It’s also common for hackers to impersonate a person after gaining access to their email and spreading other cyberattacks through someone’s contact list.

“People often link their mobile phone to an email account and if a hacker gets in, there is full access to a person’s location, photos, and confidential files,” adds Simoni.

How to Tell If Your Email Has Been Hacked

Here are some signs that may indicate that your account has been compromised:

Your Login History
Almost all email providers now have a login history. You can view it and see whether your account is being accessed from an unknown device.

Suspicious Email Logs
Make sure your email spam and inbox contains messages that confirm changes to passwords or logins for websites or apps that you made.

Check Your Sent Messages
View the log of the last messages sent from your account and check for emails that were not written by you.

Check If Your Credentials Have Been Leaked
You can check if personal data such as email, passwords, or your conversation history has already been exposed on the internet. dfndr security has an Identity Theft feature, which lets you know if your emails or logins were leaked, when it happened, and how it was dispersed. The results are given from a completely thorough search of your email address.

My Email was Hacked, What Now?

Have you noticed strange behavior on your email account? Frank Vieira recommends some actions you should take:

1 – Change your account password immediately.
2 – Disconnect email access to all devices. To do this, go to your account settings and look for Login and/or Security options. Anyone logged in to your email from another mobile phone or computer will be automatically be logged out.
3 – Enable two-factor authentication. This will help you monitor access to your email and provide extra protection for your account.
4 – Download an antivirus on your phone. If your email is linked to your phone, it is essential to check for viruses and malware consistently. dfndr security is able to detect and remove any kind of threat on your phone bu providing real-time protection in messaging apps and browsers. Tap here to download dfndr security.

EasilyDo’s Amazing Email App Finally Comes to Android

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:00:23 +0000

Since its appearance as a competitive email app contender last year, EasilyDo’s Email app has been recently formatted for the Android platform, bringing with it faster email, one-touch unsubscribing, and functional mail sorting. Email for Android is free to download from the Google Play store.

Before you download the app, make sure to free up space on your device by removing any old, unused apps. Use App Manager to quickly uninstall apps — in one screen, with one click — to free up space for more apps, photos, and files. Click above to remove unwanted apps from your phone.

Last spring, EasilyDo’s Email app was heavily praised by reviewers for its handling of glitches and setbacks that had been appearing in various email apps for ages, including the inability to integrate inboxes, uncategorized emails, and problems with speed and loading. EasilyDo’s app virtually eradicated all of these problems, as the app is tuned for all different types of accounts except for Exchange and POP (which is due to change soon). Furthermore, the app has unified its inbox, syncing your different email accounts so the mail is delivered in one place.

With its easy and quick search engine, you can sort through both your Sent and Received messages with a keyword or name search. Giving credence to EasilyDo’s history as a organizational mobile assistant that tracks packages and travel details, the Email app also sends alerts and updates to users of changes in travel plans, delivery times, and other scheduling information. The app also sorts your emails into similar categories, with travel, packages, bills and receipts, and entertainment-related emails all filed into their relevant folders.

Many users are also praising the one-click unsubscribe feature, which allows you to get rid of spam or chain mail with ease. The app also allows users to easily block certain addresses, and you can control the read receipts and privacy settings with Touch ID protection. A quick sync with Wallet apps is also available, so you can store tickets and boarding passes on your phone directly from your inbox.

The Android version of the Email app has taken many Android-like qualities. The left-sided list aesthetic, with round, circular graphics, will feel familiar to those who have always used Android phones. Users can also receive notifications and send voice messages with Android Wear, and for those who use Android Nougat, there are features for quicker group messaging and launcher shortcuts.

Should You Give Retail Stores Your Email?

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 21:18:04 +0000

An email address seems like the most innocent thing you can give out to a retail store. While one would obviously be hesitant to expose information such as their Social Security Number or their credit card info, an email is a seemingly harmless address that people give out without hesitation. However, there are several repercussions to giving out your email address with no hesitation. Here are a few:

Email Bombardment
The first and least severe penalty to giving out your email address is the email bombardment you will likely receive. If some store wants your email, it’s likely because they want to send you something — this is obvious. However, some stores abuse this power more than others. As a result, one store can send you several emails a day, flooding your inbox and making your account less efficient.

Sensitive Information
Some people utilize sensitive information to comprise their email addresses, for some reason. For instance, many will use their birthday as a number to make their email unique. If a malicious person were to gain access to information such as your birthday or your address, this could be a gateway to hacking your social media and banking accounts. If your email has sensitive information, think twice before exposing it to strangers.

Phishing
One could logically say that Target and Wal-Mart probably won’t use your email to phish you. However, there are smaller and less well renowned retail stores that could utilize your email for malicious purposes. These stores could send you a phishing email, prompting you to enter your vital information into a malicious website. This could obviously lead to a breach of security for several of your accounts if your information falls into the wrong hands.

It Serves As an ID For Multiple Websites
Think about how many websites you use your email address for as your login. For this reason, your email address should be treated as a relatively private account. Giving it out to random retail stores could lead to certain employees trying to hack your online accounts. However, if you use several different emails for different websites, then this should not raise a concern for you.

In sum, while you shouldn’t completely avoid giving your email out to retail stores, you should heavily consider the source prior to exposing this sensitive information. While it seems safe to give out your email, this could potentially lead to catastrophic account breaches.

An Overview of Apps That Aim to Manage Your Inbox

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 19:07:13 +0000

If you are a busy worker or a just a popular person, then you likely have a lot of emails to deal with. This can be incredibly difficult, considering you only have one inbox folder. Luckily, there have been several apps invented to help manage the madness of your inbox.

Gmail
Gmail has become an excellent mail service for those who have more than one job or have to manage multiple projects. The app offers several convenient ways to organize your emails into separate folders. Plus, the spam filter is phenomenal, so you will seldom see any emails in your inbox that are unfamiliar or malicious. The service holds 15GB of mail (15x what they provided when they started), so you will never have to worry about deleting emails for extra room.

Outlook
This is an ideal app for those who use the Microsoft Outlook email service. With one interface, Outlook will provide you with your calendar, contacts, tasks, and emails. This can simplify any complex work schedule that you might have. Microsoft Outlook Office 365 Personal is normally $6.99/month, but it is free for Android.

Boxer
Boxer is an email app that is compatible with nearly all email providers. You can implement to-do lists, notifications, and a dashboard for urgent tasks. The app allows you to swipe away emails that you do not like until you have an empty inbox. Moreover, Boxer enables you to send short video snippets to other people who have the app. When you swipe, you can conveniently mark your emails as trash or spam. While this app is $4.99 for iOS, it is free for Androids.

CloudMagic
CloudMagic is the perfect app for people who manage multiple email accounts. The app combines all of your emails into one inbox, and it allows you to filter the inbox by email account. The creators of the app boast that it is compatible with all email service providers. CloudMagic allows you to choose which email account you wish to send each email from. The app has been critically acclaimed by sources such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Political Email Hacks and the Dangers They Pose

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:03:04 +0000

Emails have been a controversial subject during this presidential election season. However, the executive branch isn’t the only sector of governance that struggles with email security. Politicians nationwide have become increasingly cognizant over their email content as a result of the widespread hacking occurring in Congress.

Not only do these emails contain political content, but they also contain personal information that could devastate a campaign. Moreover, top secret political information can be communicated via email, so national security could be in grave danger if a confidential email is hacked and falls into the wrong hands. Hacked information with leaked gossip could tarnish the reputation of any elected official.

For example, the Democratic National Committee had an email leak that alluded to a somewhat fixed election by the hands of the DNC delegates. Secretary of State Colin Powell also had a variety of emails hacked that revealed his personal dislike for the current presidential candidates and other federal officials.

This series of hacks has caused other businesses to launch a more discrete communication policy. For example, Goldman Sachs uses the acronym “LDL,” meaning “let’s discuss live,” whenever they want to send a confidential message. Other executives are utilizing pseudonyms to assert personal security.

However, many are looking positively upon these hackings, as they are providing a check on the potential corruption of politicians. While the system of checks and balances seems to be maintaining the stability of the federal government, there is always a possibility of dishonesty. Thus, the hacking of these emails could potentially expose politicians who are unfairly attempting to promote a deceitful agenda.

Why were these emails hacked?
These hacking victims obviously didn’t have PSafe Total installed! PSafe Total offers features to help maximize the safety of your private information. Advanced Protection is a function within PSafe Total that allows PSafe to protect your device from third-party uninstalls in case of loss or theft. This maximizes the privacy of your photos, messages, and personal data. Additionally, PSafe Total’s anti-theft feature tracks, blocks, locates, and even erases all of your data remotely in case of loss or theft.