7 Tips To Make Your Gmail Account More Secure

Gmail has become a unavoidable part of our daily internet life. It is important to have a gmail account these days because of its features. But we don't care about its security too much. Chances of  a gmail account to be hacked is very low. But its proven that gmail can be hacked. So it is important follow some tips to keep your gmail account more secure. Here, in this article I am sharing Seven Tips to make your Gmail account more Secure.

Two-Step Verification
Hackers need your password to hack your Google account (including YouTube, Gmail, and Blogger). They can acquire our password with a phishing scam or when you accidentally expose your password. To address this issue, Google now offers two-step verification https://www.google.com/accounts/SmsAuthConfig?hl=en, in which Google will send you an SMS with a specific code that you enter as the second part of the log-in process.

Check account activity
It could be that a hacker is accessing your account without your knowledge. To check, sign in to your Gmail account and go to the bottom of the page. You'll see a line that says "Last account activity..." At the end of this line, click "Details" and you'll know when, how, and where your account is being used. If you suspect any unknown activity, immediately change your password and security questions, and enable two-step verification.

Enable HTTPS security
If you access Gmail over an unsecured network-as at an internet cafe, library, or a shop--you immediately become vulnerable to hackers. Make sure you're browsing public Wi-Fi safely, and that you're using Gmail with HTTPS security. To enable HTTPS, sign in to Gmail and go to Mail settings (upper right) > General. Set "Browser Connection" to "Always use HTTPS."

Strong Password
Make your password more stronger. Use combinations of symbols, letters and numbers. This is most important. Your short simple password makes you more vulnerable to hackers. Hackers can hack simple password without much information. You can use Password Meter to check the strngth of your password.

Check Attachments
Although Google has inbuilt virus scan features for both incoming and outgoing attachments, still its advised not to open an attachment that you have not been expecting. It could carry malware that might harm your computer. You could mail the person back, if curious, and ask about the attachment first.

Account Recovery Options
If you set up account recovery options, you will be able to get back into your account even if it gets hacked. To set up account recovery options, click on your account icon and select “My Account” while using any of the Google web services, like Gmail, YouTube, etc. Now, click on the “Sign-in & Security” option.Here, scroll down a bit, and you will see “Account recovery options” panel. You can enter a recovery email address and/or recovery phone number.In an event you can’t access your account, you can use either of these recovery options to recover your account. (Google will provide instructions.)

Beware of Phishing
Never ever reply if you see a suspicious message or webpage asking for your personal or financial information. Your bank, credit card company, Internet Service Provider (ISP), webmail service, or favorite retailer isn’t going to send you an email and ask you to confirm your identity – especially when there’s a sense of urgency attached to it. They may look legit – down to the establishment’s logo – but it’s likely a scam. When in doubt, call or write the business in question.Consider reporting these messages. If you receive an email asking for personal information, sign in to Gmail, open the message you’d like to report, click the down arrow next to Reply and select Report Phishing.And be careful responding to strange messages from your contacts as their account might have been compromised by an account hijacker.

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About Gmail
Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well as via POP3 or IMAP4 protocols. Gmail started as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004[10] and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though still in beta status at that time. The service was upgraded from beta status on July 7, 2009, along with the rest of the Google Apps suite.With an initial storage capacity offer of 1 GB per user, Gmail significantly increased the webmail standard for free storage from the 2 to 4 MB its competitors such as Hotmail offered at that time. Individual Gmail messages, including attachments, may be up to 25 MB. Gmail has a search-oriented interface and a "conversation view" similar to an Internet forum. Gmail is noted by web developers for its pioneering use of Ajax. Gmail runs on Google GFE/2.0 on Linux. As of February 2016, it was the most widely used web-based email provider with over 1 billion active users worldwide. According to a 2014 estimate, 60% of mid-sized US companies were using Gmail. In May 2014, Gmail became the first app on the Google Play Store to hit one billion installations on Android devices.