As we live in the digital age a lot of us are heavily dependent on the Google ecosystem with Android, Gmail, Search, Docs, Maps, YouTube, and many more products that the tech giant offers. All these things are controlled using one Gmail account. With everything linked to a single mail address, it is mandatory to keep the Gmail account secure and protected, because if it gets compromised, then the whole Google ecosystem may collapse

In order to protect the Gmail account from vulnerabilities, these are a few tips with which can help in keeping the Google account secure:

Use strong and unique passwords

Most of the people these days have a weak password like “password” and it is not as safe at all. A simple SQL injection attack or a brute force attack can easily get the password. So it is recommended to keep a unique and strong password for the mail account. It can be a random phrase with over eight characters consisting of numbers, capital letters, small letters, and special characters.

Two-factor authentication a must

Using two-factor authentication provides extra protection to an account. With 2FA, Google apart from your password will also require an OTP either sent to you in a message or via the Google Authenticator. It is difficult to get the OTP without physical access to your personal device and after multiple login attempts, the account is blocked, until you prove you are the owner and unblock it. ALSO READ,


Add account recovery options

If a hacker is to gain access to the account or can block your account, one can enable it from the Settings option of Gmail. With the help of recovery options, unauthorized personnel can be blocked from using the account without your permission. It will also intimate the owner that anyone was trying to access the account.

Remove access from non-essential apps

As we give access to a lot of apps that we use, but most of the time we forget to logout from the app before deleting, thus increasing the chances of getting the account hacked. So it is recommended to clean the account regularly and remove access from any non-essential apps.

This can be done in just a few steps,  Go to your account settings and then to the Apps section and revoke access from any third-party apps that you no longer use.


Always Use a trusted and up to date browser

In order to avoid phishing attacks, always do use trusted browsers. During a phishing attack, a hacker uses specialized software that attaches itself to the browser and taps your keystrokes and websites visited, and then send all of that data back to the hacker.

Ignore suspicious emails and delete them

Many hackers trying to gain access to accounts, send mails with phishing software attached to them, if one such mail opens, one may end up in a big pool of trouble. So it is recommended that if you see any such type of mails, then steer away from them and spam them immediately.