HACKING IN

Your Gmail may have been HACKED as billions warned over ‘secret attack’

THE THREAT from cyber crooks is sadly a never-ending battle, as they constantly look for new ways to rob you blind.

Our email is obviously a treasure trove of information that could be useful to fraudsters, so it's more important than ever to keep it as secure as possible.

Advertisement
Gmail has 1.5billion active usersCredit: Alamy

Most of them time, hackers rely on large data dumps that have previously been illegally obtained.

And despite advice not to, many people actually use the same password for everything.

This means that, if your password was compromised on one website, a hacker could try the same password on another site and see if it works.

So you can imagine the devastation if you use the same password for your Gmail, one of the world's most popular email services.

Advertisement

And worse still, how would you even know if one of your logins has been stolen in the first place?

Thankfully, Google has a tool that might just help.

Most read in Tech

SKY HIGH
Inside SpaceX's plans for spy satellite network as US takes on China 'kill web'
SAY BYE
Google fans rage ‘I’m so angry’ as two popular app benefits are being ‘phased out’
TITAN TRICK
Amazon offers free upgrade to millions of TV owners that makes home look better
MEGA BOA
World’s biggest snake even larger than T-Rex discovered by scientists

How to use Google Password check-up

Google Password check-up cleverly compares your login details against known data breaches.

If it spots a match, it alerts you.

Advertisement

It's a really handy add-on that comes with Google Chrome.

When you log into any service, it should automatically pop-up to warn you if a match has been detected.

For any passwords you have stored in Chrome, it'll do the work for you too - and you can check right now.

All you need to do is type 'password check' in your Chrome browser, then a button will appear that says Run Chrome Safety Check.

Advertisement

Tap it.

It'll then take a few moments to check, and under the heading titled 'Passwords' it'll say whether any are at risk.

If it's a yes, a blue button will appear saying Review.

Chrome will show you which services and suggest changing the passwords for them.

Advertisement
Gmail launched in 2004Credit: Getty
Hidden Google codes that unlock secret features revealed – try these today

In other news, a new space station for Tom Cruise to shoot movies on has caused jaws to drop for all the wrong reasons.

Scientists have pinpointed when they believe the Sun will explode and wipe out everything on Earth in the process.

And Apple is working on a fix for a recently discovered bug that is capable of exposing the personal data of iPhone users.

Advertisement

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk


Topics
Advertisement
You might like
Advertisement
Advertisement
Show More
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement