In this post, I will teach you how to protect your email account from getting hacked in a very simple and easy to understand manner. The tips provided in this post not only applies to your email account, but can also be used to protect any other online account such as your bank logins, Paypal or your social networking account. Nowadays, I get a lot of emails from people where most of them ask me for help on getting back their email accounts. This is because, they have simply fallen victims and have got their email accounts hacked!
Today, it is a common problem for many Internet users to have their email accounts compromised by hackers. But this arises one BIG question in my mind!
“Is it so easy to hack an email account? OR Is it so difficult for people to protect their email account from getting hacked?”.
The single answer to these two questions is “Absolutely NOT!“. It is neither easy to hack an email nor difficult to protect an email account from being hacked.
If this is the case, then what is the reason for many people to lose their accounts?
The answer is very simple. They do not know how to protect themselves from getting hacked! In fact, most of the people who lose their online accounts to hackers are not the victims of hacking but the victims of trapping. They get hacked not because they are hacked by some expert hackers, but because they are fooled to such an extent that they themselves give away their password.
Are you confused? If so continue reading and you’ll come to know…
Now I will mention some of the most common pitfalls by which people often fall victims and get their accounts compromised. In addition to this, I will also give information on how to avoid these pitfalls and stay protected.
1. Website Spoofing (Phishing Scam)
Website spoofing, also known as phishing is the act of creating a fake website with the intention of misleading the visitors. The website will be created by a different person or organization (other than the original) especially for the purpose of cheating. Normally, the website will adopt the design of the target website and sometimes has a similar URL.
For example a spoofed website of Yahoo.com appears exactly same as Yahoo Website. So, most people would believe this as the original site and lose their passwords. The main intention of spoofed websites is to fool users and take away their login details. For this, the spoofed sites offer fake login pages. These fake login pages resemble the original login pages of sites like Yahoo, Gmail or Facebook. Since they resemble the original login page, people believe that it is true and give away their login details to the hackers by trying to login to their accounts.
Solution:
- Never try to login/access your online account from the sites other than the original site.
- Always type the URL of the site in the address bar to get into the site. Do not click on a hyperlink to enter the site.
2. By using Keylogger (Spyware)
The other commonly used method to steal password is by using a Keylogger. A Keylogger is nothing but a spyware. The detailed description of keylogger and its usage is discussed in the post How to Use Keyloggers. If you read this post you’ll come to know that it is too easy to steal the password using a keylogger program. If you just access your account from a computer installed with keylogger, you definitely lose your password. This is because the keylogger records each and every keystroke that you type on the computer’s keyboard.
Solution:
Protecting yourselves from a keylogger scam is very easy. Just install a good anti-spyware program and update it regularly. This keeps your PC secure from a keylogger. For more information, you may read my other post on How to Protect your Computer from keyloggers?
3. Accessing your Email from a Public Place
Do you access your email from public places like cyber cafes? If so, you are definitely under the risk of losing your password. In fact, many people lose their email account in cyber cafes. For the owner of the cyber cafe, it is just a cakewalk to steal your password. For this, all he need to do is install a keylogger program on his computers. So, when you login to your email account from this PC, you give away your password to the cafe owner. Also, there are many Remote Administration Tools (RATs) which can be used to monitor your browsing activities in real time.
This doesn’t mean that you should never use cyber cafes for surfing the Internet. I know, not all the cyber cafe owners will be so wicked. However, it is recommended not to use public places for accessing confidential information. If it comes to the matter of security never trust anyone, not even your friend. I always use my own computer to login to my accounts so as to ensure the safety.
So with this I conclude my post and assume that I have helped my readers to protect their online accounts from being hacked. Please pass your comments. 🙂
What is CAPTCHA and How it Works?
Beware of Common Internet Scams and Frauds
Beware of Password Hacking Scams and Fake Tutorials
A Closer Look at a Vulnerability in Gmail
Thank you so much for your support!
Thanks indeed for the Post on how to protect an email account from being hacked.Great!!!!
@ carmel
Nothing to worry.Just Ignore those mails.Report it as spam so that it might get filtered in the future.Don’t respond to those emails and you’ll be safe.He can no way receive your mails.
hi i have been trying to hack email from my office but servers are not allowing me to hav any keylogger, or any other that can be used.
So i hv tried some methods that i were read in Ankit Fadias…
i. e. by making face id on any email provider and sending mails to victims ids…..
is there a way to stop you hotnail account from bein hacked cos u can do it on the live.com website by saying you forgo your password
hey can u hack na id if i give u the address……………………………..cause i am not understanding all this stuff cause its a long procedure………
Dear Srikanth !
Thanks for writing post on how to protect email from being hacked.I have an email wich i do not use for i recieve about 10 emails from different id’s that you have won american ,british lottery etc.I want to know to stop these mails.For when i use mobile phone to see mail inbox i have to pay extra amount to read these mails.
@ Usman
Just mark these emails as spam, so that in the future they’ll automatically be moved to the spam folder. From this you can keep your inbox clean..
Dear All:
I wish that i found one can help me to bring me my hacked e-mail..please it is to important and many information in side because i use it for many years..i will appreciate any help my e-mail what hacked is [email protected] … thanks a lot
Please! Someone is blackmailing me and he is keeping my naked pics. He said he can see who are in my messenger list and my emails. Please help me!!! i am really desperate with this. I will loose my job and friends and future husband if this dont stop. I dont have any money to pay for help too. Please please!!!!!
Hoping for your reply asap.
Jane
Hello…..
It’s secure to use the OSK (On Screen Keyboard) on cyber cafes??
@ PROTOTYPE
No. It’s not secure as there are chances of other spying on what you type.
dear be aware from spy activity in cyber cafe.
i uuse to take orkut directly from gmail is there any problem ?
if there wat can i do pls help me
Thanks alot for your valuable information. i don’t know but feel that someone is watching over my e- mail account. after installing an Anti-Keylogger i found a cheater. thanks a lot….
nice one….and i wish to clear a doubt …if i have the email address…how can i find their location…easy? …please reply fast …email me if u can please…i may not be able to remember where i commented to retrieve its replies,…
If it is the keylogger that does the trick, this method should work for all password protected accounts such as yahoo, gmail, hotmail, etc. Can I buy anti-keylogger at places like Best Buy? Thanks.
@ Geeta
If you suspect that someone is trying to spy on you, then you can go for anti-keylogger.
mmmm nice nice btw i have to protect my e-mail from hackers hehe 😉 thats nice 🙂
Dear Sir
I have a ‘Google’ and ‘Orkut’ account and my Login id was “[email protected]” . My name is Gagan Aggrwal. Yesterday my Orkut profile has been hacked along with my two email ids which were associated with Orkut. The hacker is still using my Orkut profile and changed the password of my email ids as well as Hacker is using my email Id for “Pornographic Promotion’s “.whom so I feel that the person can use my personal data for promoting the pornographic items even I have also saved my some personal photograph over that email Id . As I have lots of Private and some Personal data over that “Email Id” , I thing that the person missus my Data .
that person is using my account with the name of “Sara Khan” .
pls do something urgently
Thanks & Regards
Gagan Aggrwal
[email protected]
@ Gagan Aggarwal
Report “Abuse” on the profile for the Orkut Team. They will solve your problem.
@ Srikanth
I have already reported them through “Report Abuse” option however there is neither any action has been taken till now .
what should i do
pls help me ???
@ Gagan Aggrwa
Nothing can be done apart from this….
thank u its very useful
thanks a lot Srikanth! pls tell me where i can get The hacker’s underground handbook?
how about if the person checks mail at a cyber shop?can i use only the keylogger attached to his mail?can you help me with any easier way?thanks.
I’m really happy 2 c that u r helping people. I appreciate ur work. I’m hacking leaner i would like 2 receive blogs on hacking. Hope u’ll cnd me. Thanks
Sir i found ur article very interesting .
I would like to know if hackers actually use any programming language like python, lisp to hack email accounts
You must use this web site thanks for share 🙂
I heard some people say tat we should be changing our passwords often for security. Why is tat? Can you pls explain me.
srikanth –
my post from around the end of the year got deleted? Been checking back for a response, now it is no longer posted, did I do something wrong?
Hi Srikanth bro u r just amazing. im very much interested in hacking & Network security so pl be in touch. i want to learn a lot from u.
HI Srikanth
I dont have Internet connection ……. I oftenly goes to internet Cafe for browsing , checking mails ……
My question is how to find out whether key logger is installed in that system or not ?
As in most of the cafe we cannot have full right? (we cannot go to control panel)
Few of the software is not shown in control panel but they are installed ,………..
If Key Logger is installed how we can protect our pwd ?
please help me, I will be thankful to you.
@ Abdul
It is not possible to find out the presence of the keylogger. It is just a matter of trust that you have on the cafe owner!
mate if someone was gonna send me a keylogger remotley in a email would just opening the email set the keylogger off or would I have to open a file in the email?
@ wauchope
It only affects you when you open the file. Not just by opening the email.
thnku……..so much for these nice tips
Hi Srikanth! You are really providing great information here. I am thankful to you. I wonder about your vast internet database. Coooool man. Going great dude.
Keep it up!
@ Srikanth!
I see you’re helping out people with lots of useful info.
*What about BigBrother? Can we protect ourselves from being tracked?
*What about legalty? Can they use tracked info to abuse us?
*I also would appreciate if you could tell about how to shut all unused gates and protocols, for ex. to configure a pc for sending/receiving e-mails ONLY the best protected way. There is also a part of that if we use encryption, that data would be suspected for sure, and as tracked down, they would be decrypted. so I think that is not the best idea to use cryptography or any such ways which would attract any attention.
thanks and regards, xid.
p.s. if possible please send the copy of the answer on my e-mail.
this is very impressive. I am very thankful for this suggestion.
and if you can then give me regular tips of ethical hacking on my
email account. thank you very much
I really thank you for your useful help.
Srikanth……….my gf’s ex (let’s call him S) has hacked my e mail acct, msn and facebook a long time ago, so i changed my password, i don’t know S is cheating or what, he said he can hack any acct even I change my password?? Is that true? I know S know about computers, now i want to hack his yahoo email, I saw your post but I am still confusing about something : we are enemies, so how can I send him a mail and he will open it?? if he is not going to open it, how can I place the spyware into his PC? and if he knows computer well, can he trace the spyware??? any good suggestion to hack his account, thanks so much
There are too many methods to hack someone’s account.m 😉
Thanks very 2 to you.
most of them said that we can hack Google account by using free software’s is it true?
@ jeevanantham
No this is not true!
dude you are the greatest hacker after Adrian limo
many of my friends says that ankit fadia is the greatest hacker
but i believe that he is nothing more than a fake person
hats off to you
Hi srikanth ,in one of ur post i found that we can keep an policy when the computer starts
but can we create and login page of own
pls reply
P.S. jeevanantham, yes it is possible, a keylogger is software, password cracker etc. cant mask cyberspace, people have the right to know if there a victim.
Gr8 knowledge…!
Thanks so much for sharing that i should know 🙂
thnk’s fr give mee such awondrful sudgestion.. 🙂
thank u for the information.i just want to know how the email being hacked and how to protect from hackers.i am going to protect my email very safely.