Make sure your email recovery options are updated AND CORRECT!

Email account lockdown warning (Along with a solution)

Among other threats, the well covered media around the Optus and Medicare data breaches has sent digital suppliers globally scrambling to tighten security, or at least seen to be trying. And in its wake, we have seen more frequently the following knee jerk security solution: “Email account locked down!”

This may well protect your email account from unauthorised use such as hackers, but sudden email lockdown can have devastating effects especially if you rely on your email for business, medical or family contact.

What causes an email account to be locked down? When you setup your account you are asked a few important security questions. This is in order that you can prove you are who you say you are in the event that you forget your password, or a security alert is triggered on your account. These usually include the following:
● First and Last Name
● Date of birth
along with 2 very critical points of virtual digital ID:
● A recovery email address
● A recovery phone number

The sad truth is…. That for many these details are not always 100% correct at the time they become needed. And in the event that someone tries to hack your account, you change a device, or you simply forget your password; If you cannot provide these details to match what your provider has on file, then you may have about as much chance of recovering your account as walking into a bank without a pin card or ID and asking to withdraw money. No password recovery for you. Your email supplier now deems that it does not believe you are the real owner trying to access the account, and once this occurs to prove otherwise can be a virtually impossible task. Email account gone!

Prevention is certainly better than the cure. And our 3 steps in prevention should help mitigate the email account lockdown risk before it becomes a problem.

1. Make sure all your email account recovery details are correct. Pay special attention to your recovery phone number and your recovery email address, removing duplicates/outdated and updating incorrect details.
2. Update/change your password to something secure. This normally involves at least 8 characters, a number, a capital, and a special character, ie “passwoRd9@” (don’t use this one).
3. Only write your password down in a secure location (not your computer!) and make sure you obfuscate it if you can.
4. If you are not absolutely certain that you are updating your recovery details correctly then ask for assistance.

If you require assistance with any of this or just wish for peace of mind; Please call or drop in store. We are here to help.

****Note, this is an updated repost from our email subscriber list a few weeks ago. If you did not receive it, please ask to be added to our subscriber list*****