This week hackers released 5 million Gmail passwords into the internet. And it brought up the issue once again about Internet Security.

I know we are tired of talking about security. A hack or breach seems to happen once a week. But why is email different and more important than other accounts?

Your email is the Rosetta stone of your online life!

What I mean is once a person has access to your email, they can generally get to any and all of your online accounts. Because most online services have something called “forgot my password” on their websites. And when you forget your password and click on the link, the website will send you a new password to your email.

Do you see the danger and importance of securing your email account now?

If a hacker gets into your email they can then request a new password from your bank. OMG! Game over!

Now good companies will put in verification steps so a random hacker can’t just reset your password, but you see the importance of not letting hackers into your email in the first place.

So the these two steps to secure your email.

#1- change your password
Make it a strong and unique password. This means use a different password for every website you go to.

And if you can’t remember all this passwords then use a password manager like Lastpass or 1password.

#2- use two factor authentication
If you’re still using your cable company or dsl company’s email, get rid of it, and join us in the 21st century. Most of those companies are still using email technology that’s 15 years old!

My email service of choice is Gmail.

Now what is two factor authentication? It’s a second code to access your account. Generally the easiest is to get a text message with a coffee when you log into your account for the first time in a new device. This means that a hacker can’t get to your email if you have two factor authentication on because they would need both your email and your phone to sign in to your account.

I helped a friend setup two factor authentication yesterday and it was a pain in the butt. The benefit is the added security and the pain is only temporary.