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How can I avoid my email address being hacked online? Many webpages ask to register with an email and a "password" which can be the same as for email address itself. Is this an intentional by miscreants who intend to utilize their subscriber's email addresses unrighteously?
2014-05-05 16:28:09
The only other thing to add here is you should have at least 2 email accounts. If you use the second one for nothing else, set it up as the "alternate account" for your primary email in case something happens to the first. It will allow you to get a password reset email or whatever else is necessary in the event your primary email account has a problem. Without this, you may have no options for recovering the first email account.
2014-05-07 16:03:44
I understood points of both of you
2014-05-05 11:23:20
Well, after such great answers from Ben and Tim, there's not a whole lot to add, except for one thing. The reason why websites ask for your email address is that they need a unique username, and hopefully one which you will remember. By using your email address, they achieve both those aims. The address also provides them with a way of of communicating with you should it become necessary (for example, to send you a password reset link) and that is a secondary benefit.No harm in reiterating what has already been said about passwords. You should keep your passwords separate. You should
definitely
not use your email password for anything else at all since your email essentially establishes your identity (i.e. anyone who can access your email will be able to pretend to be you and access anything you can currently access, or even subscribe in your name to other services). If you are concerned about giving your normail email address to all those sites, you can set up a separate email account for the purpose. Some email services like outlook.com even have an "alias" option which makes it easier to manage the additional account.
2014-05-07 16:03:03
Thanks! Nice of you both to put efforts on this topic
2014-05-05 03:10:26
Ben has made a great answer above, and I've little to add beyond the obvious: what password YOU choose to use on any given website is YOUR responsibility. If you are using the same password more than once (anywhere, for anything) then you are not taking all the precautions you can to prevent your accounts from being hacked. It is simply wrong to assume website owners want to phish your password simply by allowing you to sign up with an email address.You should never under any circumstances use the same password more than once, especially your email password. Your email account is your last line of defence – it allows you to reset all of your other accounts should they be breached. You should enable two-factor authentication to make it next to impossible for anyone other than you to access it.Learn about two-factor authentication: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/what-is-two-factor-authentication-and-why-you-should-use-it/Some services that you should lock down with it: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/lock-services-now-two-factor-authentication/I personally don't know any of my passwords, because they're all randomly generated 20+ character long gibberish that I recall from a database as and when I need them. Look into 1Password, Dashlane, KeePass and any other "secure password manager" type software if this appeals to you!
2014-05-05 17:17:40
Thanks. Your answer is nice. Please note that I am not assuming for any website owner but query is for a small percentage of webpages which may be registering for unrighteous reasons
2014-05-05 02:37:38
First off, and most importantly, you should be using different passwords for every online account, which answers your original question. Also, your email should be one of your best passwords, because if someone gets into it they can reset your other passwords.That being said, usernames and passwords are very standard on the web - it's up to you to not use the same password on a website as on your email. Legitimate websites won't do anything with your login info, but the more places you use a password the more likely it is to be compromised.Using a password manager, like
LastPass
, can help greatly in this. It remembers your passwords for you, so you can let it create strong ones and be even safer. I also greatly recommend
enabling two-step authentication
on every site you use that allows it, especially your email. This requires you to have a mobile device to login, protecting your account even if someone were to get your password.Lots of bad things can happen online, but with some common sense and a bit of help, you'll be very secure. If you change all your passwords to be more secure, unique, and use two-factor authentication, you'll be well off.
2014-05-07 15:58:14
Thanks. Your answers have been positive across multiple cross-queries.