How to make your email hack-proof

Source: Vsoft, 04/10/2018

How to secure your inbox, enhance your mail and unlock secret
codes
Even with the rise of social networks and messaging apps, email is
still the most popular means of online communications and remains
essential for registering with websites, confirming your identity
and receiving important information.
Most email services are far from perfect, however, despite the
introduction of GDPR and improvements to spam filtering and anti-
phishing protection. Some of the most well-known services fail to
protect your data from hackers, invade your privacy by scanning
message content, and generally lack important features we all want
and need.
In this advanced guide, we show you how to become an email power
user by unlocking the full potential of your webmail service.
Create a fake `burner` email address
When you use your real email address to register with a website,
you`re not only opening yourself to a deluge of marketing messages
(despite the recent introduction of GDPR), you`re also handing
over an essential piece of personal information.
If the site suffers a security breach, your email address could
fall into the hands of cyber criminals, compromising the safety of
your other online accounts.
The best way to avoid being spammed, scammed and hacked is to
create a temporary fake address using a disposable-emails service.
Use this fake address to sign up to a website, click the link in
the confirmation message that arrives in your alternative inbox
and you`ll gain access to the site without sacrificing your
privacy or security.
Burner Emails conceals your real email address when you register
with sites
Our favourite new tool for this task is Burner Emails. It`s
available for Firefox and Chrome, and also works with Opera and
Vivaldi. This browser extension automatically detects email fields
on web pages and lets you click them to generate and enter fake
addresses. Messages sent to these addresses are then forwarded to
your real account, so you won`t miss important verification and
confirmation emails. You can then delete or disable each `burner`
address so you won`t receive any further communication from that
site.
We also like the Firefox add-on Bloody Vikings, which lets you
create fake addresses on the fly using 14 disposable email
services, including Dropmail, Fake Mail Generator and Mailinator.
Usefully it opens your temporary inbox in a background tab, so you
can confirm your registration without leaving the page. Another
handy Chrome extension is Disposable Temporary Email Address,
which generates accounts that expire after 10 minutes.
Stop third-party tools reading your emails
Google recently admitted that the contents of Gmail messages are
not only processed by computer algorithms but can sometimes be
read by human third parties, when certain apps are granted access
to user accounts. With so many useful tools available for Gmail,
this situation is difficult to avoid, but it still pays to know
exactly which apps you`ve allowed to access your emails so you can
block any that look suspicious.
Remove unwanted third-party apps that have access to your Gmail
account
To find out which of your apps can access your email, go to your
Google Account and click the `Apps with account access` link in
the `Sign-in & Security` section. Click Manage Apps to view
further details about what personal data third-party apps can
access, and click remove Access to disconnect undesirable tools
from your Gmail account.
Make two-factor authentication easier to use
Two-factor authentication (2FA) â€` also known as two-step
verification â€` adds a second layer of protection to your email
account by asking you to enter a code when you sign in from a new
device or if you`ve been logged in on your current one for 30
days. In January, Google software engineer Grzegorz Milka admitted
that fewer than 10% of Gmail users have enabled this feature but
if you`re security-conscious, it`s definitely worth setting up.
To do so, click `Get Started`, then sign into your Gmail account
and click `Start Setup`. Enter your mobile number, choose how you
want to receive the verification code and click Send Code. When
you receive the six-digit code, enter it in the box and click
Verify to add your phone number to your account.
If you prefer, you can use Google`s Prompt feature, which saves
you having to type a code each time. Instead, you tap Yes to
confirm that you`re trying to sign in from another device. This
method is less secure, so Google recommends it`s used only on
phones and tablets that have screen lock activated. You can also
print one-off back up codes to use as your convenience.
To set up 2FA for Outlook.co, go to the new `Security Settings`
page and sign into your account. Under `Two-step verification`,
choose `Set up two-step verification` to turn the feature on, then
follow the instructions. You can opt to receive your verification
codes by text message or phone call, or have them sent to an
alternative email address, but the easiest method is to use an
authenticator app, such as Microsoft Authenticator or Authy, which
also works with Gmail