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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.

Gmail Can Finally Accept Attachments Up to 50MB

PSafe Newsroom — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 20:00:27 +0000

Worry no more — you no longer have to fear not receiving an email because the file size was too large. Google recently announced that it is increasing its file-sharing limit on Gmail. Previously, Gmail users could only receive a file or series of files that totaled less than 25MB. Now, Gmail users can receive up to 50MB of files — a serious increase that will allow users to receive higher quality photos, large PDFs, and more music files, among others.

Now that Dropbox and other file-sharing sites exist, it is undesirable to send a larger file through mail. But if you want that option to receive larger files, you no longer have to worry. Always be aware of how much space large files may be taking up on your devices, though. Downloading many large attachments through Gmail and then leaving them on your phone even when you are finished with them will cause your device to drag. If you’re worried that you may have large or useless files cluttering your device, click above to activate Quick Cleanup to free up memory on your phone.

There’s also a catch to Google’s new update: you can only receive files up to 50MB on Gmail, you can’t send files up to 50MB. For the time being, you can only send files up to 25MB. This is because sending larger files through email is not only unsafe, but it can take up unnecessary server space. This can lead to slower delivery of emails. However, Google likely increased the file size that can be received to support other email services that can send larger files. That way, if you have a relative who prefers to send photos via email, then you’ll likely receive them now. If you want to send files that are larger than 25MB, you can do so through Google Drive.

How to Send Files with Google Drive

If you want to send a file larger than 25MB via email, than you can do so by using Google Drive. Once you’re logged into Gmail, click “compose” to create an email. Then, you’ll see a paperclip icon at the bottom of the email that indicates a file attachment. Next to that, you’ll see the Google Drive icon, which is the shape of a triangle. Click the Google Drive icon to select the files that you want to attach from Google Drive.

You can then send the file as a Google Drive link, which works for any of Google’s services such as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. Make sure that the shared settings are updated so that the intended recipient can see the file. If you don’t want to share a Google file, you can also choose to attach a file that isn’t a part of Google’s services. To do this, the file that you want to send can be uploaded to Google Drive.

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.

3 Ways to Make the Most Out of Gmail on Your Android

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 20:58:40 +0000

Millions of Android users rely on the Gmail app to easily check email on their smartphones. Despite the intuitive interface of this popular mobile app, there are some hidden features you might not be aware of. Get the most out of your Gmail experience with these quick and helpful tips.

Merge Your Inboxes

If you have multiple email accounts, you can consolidate them into one inbox. This is particularly helpful if you want to look at your personal and work emails in the same place. To merge your inboxes, go to the main menu, tap your username and select Add account from the drop-down menu below your avatar. Once you have followed the instructions, an “All Inboxes” tab should appear, allowing you to view the accounts you’ve added in a unified inbox.

Insert Attachments From Google Drive

Want to attach a file in an email that isn’t saved on your phone? Follow these steps and you can easily share photos, videos, documents and more with the touch of a button. First, download the Google Drive app to your Android phone. Then compose an email in your Gmail app. Tap the paperclip icon at the top right, then select “Insert From Drive.”

Once you select the document that you want to attach, there are several sharing options to choose from. If you are sending the email to someone with a Gmail account, select “Anyone With the Link.” If the person has a Gmail account, select “Recipients of this Email.”

Free Up Space on Your Phone

There is no reason to have all of your emails taking up precious space on your smartphone. You can control how much email is saved and synced to your device. To edit your preferences, go to the main menu and open the settings page. Tap your account name, then choose either “Days of Email to Sync” or “Manage Labels.”

On most Android devices, you will have the option to limit the amount of stored emails and decrease the number of days of emails to sync. And here’s the great news: any email that has been removed from your phone will still be available through the search option.