New email account damn Yahoo

[topround]

my email has changed from yahoo to gmail

so new email is

mocktudo@gmail.com

I need a secure email account , my Yahoo account was hacked twice, if anyone has any hints on beefing up security I would appreciate it.
Lost all my contacts, and Yahoo is a machine there are no people to speak to.

[Emil]

Didnt they say that if you liked your old email account you can keep it?

[Levi]

Unfortunately, Gmail is just as secure as Yahoo.   

[sleepyguy24]

Levi may be onto something check this out.

If you have gmail and google+, Google can send others email without your knowledge as if you sent it (see #1 below) and also other google+ users can email you without knowing your email address (I read it somewhere but can't exactly remember where.). #2 Is how to disable this "feature".

1.       Google+ invitation lands Massachusetts man in jail: (He had a restraining order) http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/google_invitation_lands_massachusetts_man_in_jail.html

2.       How to disable Gmail's Google Plus integration: http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/how_to_disable_gmails_google_plus_integration.html

Now to some hints to beef up security.

One thing is to not put your full e-mail on a forum on craigslist. Try doing something like this when posting e-mail info on a forum.

mocktudo [at] g  mail dot   com

You probably know this already but you should have a more complex password for your e-mail and you should change it periodically. Something with mixed upper and lower case letters, characters and pick something really odd that you can remember.

I don't know what you have for spyware, malware and anti-virus on your computer but this is what I use on the various laptops and computers.

AVG Security, SpywareBlaster, Norton Utilities

There are lots out there and I'm sure everyone has their favorites but these are the ones I use.

Another thing to watch out for is Skype. Very recently there was an update notice that popped up on my laptop and it looked exactly like a Skype update. I hit accept to the notice and it put a really nasty audio only malware on my laptop.

Imagine 25-30 infomercials playing on your computer in the background no matter what you do it won't stop. As soon as you boot up the noise starts. It took A LOT for me to get my laptop fixed. 2-3 days of various clean ups, anti virus programs and talks with some computer experts to get the issue resolved. I was so happy when I was done.

Well enjoy the new Gmail account and be very careful now.

[mdconnelly]

If someone hacks your password, you're toast.  Gmail/Google does have 2nd level authentication available as does Facebook (but you have to activate it).  It is invoked anytime someone logs in to your account from a machine/IP address that hasn't been used by you before or recently.  It's a bit of a hassle if you access your gmail account from many different machines but it definitely seems like a good idea.  Keep those passwords strong, don't use the same password on multiple accounts, and either change them routinely or use something like LastPass which helps a lot if you do use extremely strong passwords.

Of course, it's not all that difficult for someone to scam your email address and send something out that 'appears' to be from you even though it was not sent by you nor from your account.  Any email address is at risk to this type of scam/spam which is why you should strive to limit posting your email address online as sleepyguy24 stated.

[richidoo]

Thanks for the good info guys!!

I "opted out" of Google + last week, it was very easy. It seemed like it was deleting my Google+ account, which I never requested in the 1st place. But who knows if it makes any difference in how much Google exploits me. I have a feeling they are just playing me, and nothing really has changed except I can't see a Google+ page anymore.

To improve my own security and privacy I use StartPage.com as default search engine, it uses Google data but hides my IP from Google. I use DoNotTrackMe to prevent websites from tracking my activity for targeted ads. I always wondered how various random websites I have never visited before knew to display my local audio store's ads. How did they know where I live, or what hobbies I like? They know because they subscribe to GoogleAds. It is google's server who populates the ad space on their webpages when i visit, and Google knows all about me. If I click on the ad, google and the visited website earn some money from the advertiser. With my browsing tracking stopped, they don't know who I am. I don't see any targeted ads at all. Only ads intended for everyone to see, like on AN.

I have received a lot of spoof emails which used one of my Facebook friends as the sender. I am tempted to nuke my Facebook account too, I never really used it anyway, too old for that shit. I understand it's not so easy to delete Facebook account. By not responding to any of them, the spoofs have stopped coming to me but my computer repair customers still get them.

Two good ways to reduce improve email security. Turn off the Preview Panel in your email client software. Preview Pane automatically downloads the server content of the email when the email is previewed. Preview is the same as opening the email. The spammer server knows your email address is valid and will be selling it and sending you many more. Shut off preview (in some clients F8 toggles it on/off) and then only manually open emails that you know are good. With my Thunderbird email client, I can open an email and read it without downloading any of the server content. I have to press a DOwnload content button on the email to see the pictures, etc. There is enough info to know if it is spam, or someone I know and wantt to download the whole email.  If I put the sender in my email contacts, it automatically downloads all the server content. My choice...

The other thing you can do to reduce commercial email ads which make up most junk email is to simply use the remove command at the bottom of the email. FCC requires an "Unsubscribe" command to be at the bottom of every legally sent advertising email. By exercising the remove option, over time you greatly reduce the amount of commercial spam. If I get a non compliant commercial email ad from a mom&pop (usually a small audio biz) I write and ask to be removed. Occasionally someone ignores the request and keeps spamming me, or writes back and takes it personally and refuses to comply. I send them the link to the fed statute and I am removed quickly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN-SPAM_Act_of_2003

Criminal spammers never put an unsubscribe link on their emails. Don't respond to them or request removal because then you have only validated your email address and your SPAM will increase. Just delete the illegal SPAMs and they will subside over time.

[goldlizsts]

You want perfection, like in Audio ?  Ain't gonna happen (few people in Audio got to audio heaven also, except for this guy Topround may be!? ).  I've been using Yahoo for a long time, have been hacked 2-3 times already.  Nuttin' can do, so I just changed PW each time, and it's been OK.  I find Yahoo more user-friendly than Gmail (Gmail more fancy somehow!?, tho I don't need all that fancy footwork).  So my gmail account I just leave it there, just in case.... when Yahoo really disintegrates.

My latest Yahoo woes - lost my 2nd Yahoo account, which was supposed to be linked to another, so (used to be able to) you can switch between the 2.  Switching, up until about 2 weeks ago, had been erratic also.  Sometimes, it'd take several tries. 

NOW, I just couldn't get into the other one at all.  So, lost it....  Good thing is that the other one I usually use it for e-buying, etc.... Not the more personal kind....  Knowing Yahoo, perhaps sometime later, suddenly, I'd be able to do it, by an act of someone up there!

[sleepyguy24]

Hi everyone

My Dad let me know that Yahoo has been hacked again.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/31/us-yahoo-hack-idUSBREA0T21H20140131

My tech friend gave me these hints about passwords etc.

-Most people get their password hacked because they have really simple passwords that everyone is using.

-Every password you have needs to be different from another account. 

-Assume everything is public.

-As for all the different passwords. Its tough to remember it all.  So you still need a safe at home with all your passwords written down or an encrypted file.

-Security through obscurity.

[goldlizsts]

As usual, I mysteriously got my 2nd account back, except NOW I can't just simply SWITCH.  I have to put in my PW again tho it does switch between the 2 for me.  With any of these email providers, you will NOT get any tech support for your woes.  That I understand; I'm only 1 of 100 million freeloaders out there.  No way they'd be able to take care of everybody.  What annoys is that they'd change, and you'd have to be scratching your head what happened.

I still don't know why I don't hear of any Apple applications, etc. being hacked.....   The hackers haven't been awakened yet?

Start cracking, Levi!

[Levi]

I still don't know why I don't hear of any Apple applications, etc. being hacked.....   The hackers haven't been awakened yet?

Start cracking, Levi!

Not sure about that.  Please save me some snow.  I am tired of Spring weather here in the South!