Use 2 step
verification to secure your Gmail account.
Most of us use free email services like
yahoo, live, gmail, hotmail, etc. Among these, Gmail seems to be the
most popular. This may be because of the fact that Google is a
trusted company and their email is easy to use. Another reason to
consider using gmail is its security features. Some time back, Google
added a new security measure called 2-step verification. This is a
great security feature and it makes your account almost impossible to
hack.('almost impossible' because nothing is really “hack proof”)
Well, what is this 2-step verification?
It is a very simple and efficient way to secure your email account
with the help of your mobile phone. You register your mobile number
with Google, and whenever you login to your Google account, a text
message or a voice automated call will send a unique verification
code to your mobile phone. You then enter this code when it is
prompted to you during login. You will be prompted for this randomly
generated code everytime you login to your account.This system
ensures that even if someone knows your password, he will not be able
to login to your account. This will also let you know immediately if
someone tried to login to your account.
Security is reassuring, but what about
convinience? Some might find it irritating to receive a text message
or a call everytime he wants to check his email. To overcome this
hurdle, there is an option for remembering or “trusting” a device
or computer that you frequently use to login. This will make sure
your are 'remembered' until your cookies are cleared.
The best part of this is that it is
absolutely free. And it is very easy to setup. You can find the
setup instructions here.
As of writing this, yahoo and dropbox, among others, are also providing this feature