How to Make Your Google Accounts More Secure
How to Make Your Google Accounts More SecureAbout a month ago I received an email from Blizzard Entertainment stating that a new World of Warcraft account had been started using my personal Gmail address. Someone with the user name of "Zhang" was hoping to do a little night elf adventuring using my data. I got on the phone with Blizzard right away, and they canceled the account faster than you can say Ogrimmar.
"Oh yeah," the Blizzard rep added, "you might want to change your Gmail password." I realized at that point that I'd been hacked, just like high-ranking U.S. officials were in June and just now, as Iranian citizens have been. There was a moment of horror as I realized what kind of private data someone with access to my account could find about me.
For many of us, a Gmail password is not just a Gmail password. It's a passport to our Google Docs account, our AdWords campaigns, our personal Google calendars, Google Docs, and more. That's not to mention access to Gmail itself, through which someone can find tax returns, private email conversations, and other data to pull off identity or credit card theft. If you are using Google business apps, you risk damage to your company if staff members' accounts are insecure.
