GOOGLE is urging users to check a key account setting to see if you’re being spied on – even if you’ve already done it before.
The “strong” warning is for anyone with one of the billions of active Google accounts – whether it’s for Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube or your Android phone.
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Your Google account is tied to some of your most personal info.
That could include your name and address, exact location, backed up photos and texts, financial info, and log-ins for other accounts.
It’s a top prize for hackers as they could use it to defraud you, carry out further attacks, or hold your accounts to ransom.
Now Google is urging all users to “regularly” take the Security Checkup.
This is a repeatable process that examines your Google account for problems, and then reveals where you might be going wrong.
Then you can easily fix the problems to secure your account.
“At Google, we take online security seriously,” Google explained.
“To protect your account, we strongly recommend following the steps below regularly.”
GOOGLE SECURITY CHECKUP
Thankfully it’s very easy to take a Google Security Checkup.
And if your security is already good, it might not take any time at all.
You can find it on this page here.
It’ll flag up with warning signs if you’re doing anything wrong.
So make sure to look at those areas first and resolve them.
Sign-In and Recovery
You might see problems with Sign-In and Recovery. For instance, you might be asked to add a recovery email or phone number.
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That way, if you’re ever locked out of your account, you have a back-up method for getting in again.
Your Devices
Then you’ll want to look at Your Devices, which is how you’ll see if anyone is spying on you.
This shows all of the places you’re logged in. It’ll reveal the device type, operating system, country, when it was last active, and how it was being used.
If you notice any suspicious devices that you don’t recognise, it might mean that someone else has access to your Google account.
You can force them out of your account – but make sure to change your password afterwards. Otherwise, they could log right back in.
It’s also a great way to see if you’re still signed in to YouTube at a hotel or Airbnb because you forgot to log out when leaving.
That’ll explain why your recommendations have been so strange lately.
GOOGLE TIPS TO AVOID SCAMS
Here’s the official Google advice…
Google warns that cyber-criminals will often use emails, texts, phone calls and websites to trick you.
This often involves “pretending to be institutions, family members, or colleagues”.
Falling for one of these scams is a great way to lose your Google account to criminals.
Google is urging web users to follow these three rules:
- Never give out your passwords. Google never asks for your password in an email, message, or phone call.
- Don’t reply to suspicious emails, texts, instant messages, webpages, or phone calls that ask for your personal or financial info.
- Don’t click links in emails, messages, webpages, or pop-ups from untrustworthy websites or senders.
Picture Credit: Google
Recent Security Activity
The next section is Recent Security Activity, which will flag if there was any strange behaviour in the past 28 days.
For instance, it’ll show if there was a new sign-in and will reveal the details you need to know about.
Third-Party Connections
After that section is Your Third-Party Connections.
This is where you can which apps or services have been given access to your account.
For instance, if you use Google for work, you might have connected Slack to it for Calendar access.
If you don’t have any third-party connections, this section won’t appear.
Safe Browsing
Another section to look at is Safe Browsing.
This gives you the option to turn on Enhanced Safe Browsing.
Normally, Google will warn you if you’re going on to a website that has been reported or detected as unsafe.
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But Enhanced Safe Browsing uses AI to work out if a website is dangerous even if it hasn’t already been reported.
It could save you from handing over financial info to a fake phishing website or downloading dangerous malware.
Two-Step Verification
Next, make sure that you’ve got Two-Step Verification switched on.
This means you have to verify with an extra step whenever you sign in to your Google account.
It could be via a text or an authenticator, or by tapping Yes on a sign-in prompt on another device.
You can review the methods you have for verification, and then add or remove them if you’ve changed your mind.
Gmail Settings
Lastly, you can check your Gmail settings here to see if you’ve blocked anyone.
It might be worth reviewing this section from time to time to make sure you haven’t accidentally blocked anyone important.
Google recommends regularly doing the Security Checkup to make sure that your account is still safe.
