How securing your email can decrease your vulnerability to cybercrime
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My friend Lisa called me last night, her voice shaking. Someone had cleared his PayPal. Then Amazon. Then they tried his bank. Three accounts in 40 minutes. Criminals never touched his passwords. There was no need for this.
They had his email.
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Think about what lives inside you right now. Bank statements. Medical results. Your retirement account, your mortgage company, every streaming service, every store you’ve ever purchased something from. And here’s the part that shouldn’t leave you cold: Every password reset link on the planet is delivered straight to your inbox.
There is no need for a criminal to hack your bank. They just need your inbox. Single account. All other doors open wide. This is not a flaw in the system. Email is designed to work this way. And most people protect it with the password they’ve been using since the Bush administration.
No. Not anymore.
Online criminals scour the internet to obtain information about your banking, personal documents and other related accounts. Experts say your email could be a gateway for this activity. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
Here’s how fast it actually happens
The criminal goes to your bank’s website. Click “Forgot my password” and type your email address. The bank will send a reset link to your inbox. The criminal, who is already inside your email, clicks on your email, creates a new password and gets right in. It then does this to your Amazon. Your PayPal. Your agency. Your health insurance portal.
Each calculation takes approximately 60 seconds. It takes less effort than ordering a pizza.
The FBI calls this account takeover scam and it cost Americans $2.7 billion last year alone. The part that should really bother you: 81% of victims said they thought they were “fairly careful” about safety beforehand. (Their words, not mine).
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Three moves. no excuses
1. Get a real password for your email now.
If your email password is shorter than 16 characters or is reused elsewhere, change your password today. I am using NordPass ($1.43/month) to create passwords that look like a cat walked across my keyboard. You remember a master password. He takes care of the rest. That’s the whole point.
Securing your email can limit your vulnerability and risk from cybercrime, experts say. (Cyberguy.com)
2. Turn on two-factor authentication. But not the text message version.
Factor two means that even if someone steals your password, they won’t be able to get in without a second code. Good morning my baby. But what most people don’t know is that SMS text codes can be compromised through a method called a SIM swapping attack. A criminal calls your mobile carrier, sweet-talks the customer service representative, and transfers your phone number to his device. Now your “secure” text codes go directly to them.
To use Google Authenticator in its place. It generates codes on your physical phone, not through your carrier. Go to your email account’s security settings and replace SMS verification with an authenticator app. It takes five minutes.
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3. Check every app connected to your inbox.
Every time you click “Sign in with Google” to access a website or app, you give that app the key to your email. Some of these apps can read your messages. Some may send emails pretending to be you. I did this audit last year and found 34 apps accessing my Gmail. Thirty-four. Apps I had completely forgotten existed still held the master key to everything.
Go here now: myaccount.google.com > Security > Third-party apps with account access. Cancel anything you don’t recognize or actively use. Gone.
Experts say taking a few simple steps to monitor apps and emails will protect you from vulnerabilities against cybercrime. (CyberGuy.com)
Your bank has a fraud department. Your credit card has zero liability protection. Your email? No one is handling this issue but you.
Twenty minutes. Three moves. Lisa wishes she could do this on a boring Sunday afternoon instead of a panic-filled Tuesday night.
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Your inbox is either a castle or an open door. There is no in between. And unlike your front door, this one doesn’t even need a deadbolt. Just strong security.
Kim Komando is America’s Digital Goddess, heard on 510 radio stations nationwide. For more tips on staying safe online, visit Komando.com.
