How To Check If Yahoo Email Is Hacked And Protect Your Email Account

Email is a very important communication tool because it has allowed anyone, anywhere in the world to get in touch with each other faster and in a more affordable way. Its set-up is even easier compared to actual physical mail and aside from actual delivery of items, an email has been a reliable source of communication not only for messages but also for important documents that could be sent electronically.

The importance of email means this type of communication should be protected at all cost. Aside from its importance as a communication tool, almost every sign-up information, online subscription and purchases are recorded through email since it's the gateway to access these services. If someone could hack your email, nearly every important information could be stolen.

Hacked Yahoo Mail

Yahoo Mail is one of the oldest email servers in the world. Although the company is not as popular as it was, it still serves millions of users worldwide since 1997.

But even though with decades of experience in sending, receiving and protecting emails, Yahoo Mail is still vulnerable to attacks. Anyone is a target and those without the right protection are highly vulnerable to hacking.

Know How To Check If Yahoo Email Is Hacked

Those who constantly use email as means of communication should know when their account has been hacked. There are actually tell-tale signs that the account are hacked including, but not limited to the following:

• Your password has changed without authorization
• Your don’t recall sending emails to select contacts
• Your settings have changed
• You receive notifications of unknown log-ins

These activities generally tell something is wrong with your account. But another method of knowing if your email has been hacked is to visit your "Account Info" in your Yahoo Mail and search for "Recent Activity".

Drastic Effects On Social Media and Online Shopping

One of the worst scenarios that could happen if someone hacked your Yahoo Mail is when they use your account to access your Social Media and Online Shopping sites. Hackers who have already taken over your account can simply ask for a new password from these sites to gain access to your personal account. This is especially scary when you have a stored credit/debit card in your online shopping website.

Things To Do When Yahoo Email Is Hacked

In an event Yahoo Mail has been successfully hacked, it is important to do the following:

• Change password and security questions - these two are extremely important in accessing emails. This should be able to temporarily take the account back from hackers. Take note that this is only a temporary solution and if nothing is done after changing the password and security questions, hackers can just attempt to log-in again.
• Two-way authentication - One of the best methods in securing an online account is through two-way authentication. In Yahoo Mail, users are constantly asked to set-up this two-way authentication process to remind them of this importance. This type of authentication adds another level of security in case someone tries to log-in without any authorization. After using the password, a temporary password or code will be sent to a different device (through SMS) or email depending on the user’s preferences. This will prevent hackers from further accessing the account because the other email or gadget has been protected.
• Inform contacts of the possible hacking - even if hacking is only suspected, contacts should be information the soonest time possible. They could receive a suspicious email that might contain some malware or spyware with an intent to steal their information.

Preventing Yahoo Mail Hacking

The following are some basic, yet very important practices in preventing hacks to your Yahoo Mail:

• Updated apps, browsers and software - updated apps, software and browsers have the latest security features that prevent unauthorized access to different types of accounts such as email.
• Avoid public Wi-Fi when possible - a free public Wi-Fi may sound like a very good idea, but there are situations where a free Wi-Fi is just a tool to snoop on those who use the wireless network to steal their personal information.
• Never click on unknown links - it doesn’t matter if it’s on an SMS message, email or Direct Message, any forwarded links from unknown sources should never be clicked.

By knowing the signs of being hacked, what to do when a hack is suspected and ways to prevent hacking, important personal information associated with Yahoo Mail is protected at all times.