smart password

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:43:28 +0000

GgOoOoOoOGgLeEe Worrning

Thousands of online accounts are hijacked every day. If you re-use your Gmail password at other websites, change it now

Use a unique password
For every unique account, use a unique password.
Using the same password on different websites allows hijackers to access your important accounts if they manage to steal your password from a less secure website. At a minimum, choose unique passwords for important accounts like your email and online banking.

What’s a smart password?
Your password is the first line of defense against cyber criminals. Follow these tips to create a smart password:

Use a unique password for all your important accounts

Use unique passwords for your accounts, especially important accounts like email and online banking. Re-using passwords is risky. If someone figures out your password for one service, that person could potentially gain access to your private email, address, and even your money.

Use a password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols

Using numbers, symbols and mixed-case letters in your password increases the difficulty of guessing or cracking your password. For example, there are more than 6 quadrillion possible variations for an eight-character password with numbers, symbols, and mixed-case letters — 30,000 times more variations than an eight-character password with only lowercase letters.

Create a password that’s hard for others to guess

Choose a combination of letters, numbers, or symbols to create a unique password that’s unrelated to your personal information. Or, select a random word or phrase, and insert letters and numbers into the beginning, middle, and end to make it extra difficult to guess (such as “sPo0kyh@ll0w3En”). Using simple words or phrases like “password” or “letmein,” keyboard patterns such as “qwerty” or “qazwsx,” or sequential patterns such as “abcd1234″ make your password easier to guess or crack.

Make sure your password recovery options are up-to-date and secure

Make sure to regularly update your recovery email address so that you can receive emails in case you need to reset your password. You can also add a phone number to receive password reset codes via text message. Additionally, many websites (including Gmail) will ask you to choose a question to verify your identity if you ever forget your password. If you’re able to create your own question, try to come up with a question that has an answer only you would know. The answer shouldn’t be something that someone can guess by scanning information you’ve posted online in social networking profiles, blogs, and other places. If you’re asked to choose a question from a list of options, such as the city where you were born, be aware that these questions are likely to be less secure. Try to find a way to make your answer unique — you can do this by using some of the tips above — so that even if someone guesses the answer, they won’t know how to enter it properly.

Keep your passwords in a secret place that isn’t easily visible

Don’t leave notes with your passwords to various sites on your computer or desk. People who walk by can easily steal this information and use it to compromise your account. If you decide to save your passwords in a file on your computer, create a unique name for the file so people don’t know what’s inside. Avoid giving the file an obvious name, such as “my passwords.” If you have a difficult time remembering multiple passwords, a trusted password manager may be a good solution. Spend a few minutes checking out the reviews and reputations of these services.

Why are unique passwords important?
Using a unique password helps keep your accounts and data safe. It’s especially important to use unique passwords for important accounts such as banking, social networks, and email. You’re likely to have dozens of accounts across the web, and you can’t guarantee the security of all of those accounts. Many smaller companies don’t have security technology capable of guarding your data from cyber criminals. When you use the same password across the web, a cyber criminal can gain access to a less secure account and then use that password to compromise your important accounts.

How do I add an extra layer of security?
Once you’ve created a smart password, you can add an extra layer of security by enabling 2-step verification. Not all Internet accounts have this security option, but your Google Account does. 2-step verification requires you to have access to your phone, as well as your username and password, when you sign in. This means that if someone steals or guesses your password, the potential hijacker still can’t sign in to your account because they don’t have your phone. Now you can protect yourself with something you know (your password) and something you have (your phone).

Content From Gmail.com & http://www.google.com/support/

Important Information about Google Buzz Class Action Settlement

admin — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:28:48 +0000

Email From : Google Buzz

Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an exception to let you know that we’ve reached a settlement in a lawsuit regarding Google Buzz (http://buzz.google.com), a service we launched within Gmail in February of this year.

Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users’ concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at http://www.BuzzClassAction.com

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This mandatory announcement was sent to all Gmail users in the United States as part of a legal settlement and was authorized by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Google Inc. | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway | Mountain View, CA 94043

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smart password

Important Information about Google Buzz Class Action Settlement