5 Tips to secure Gmail

Remember the last time you didn't check your mail? Or didn't use the Internet at all? Have to think really hard? 

Most of us - right from a newbie in the world of internet to an addict, from a professional to a student - spend a considerable amount of time inside our mail boxes. But few actually know the security hazards that our mail box exposes us to (if not used properly). 

Here are a few useful tips that will go a long way in saving us from the so-very common email traps and frauds.

Especially when using a public computer, be careful to sign out of your Google account when you're finished. Just click the "Sign out" link at the top right corner of your inbox. If you're using a public or shared computer and want to be extra thorough, you can also clear the browser's cache, cookies and history. Then, completely close the browser. 

On your personal computer, you can also lock your computer with a password-protected screensaver if you need to step away momentarily. Learn the best ways to lock your screen in Windows or in Mac OS X. 

Forgot to sign out? Open up a new Gmail session on another computer and use Gmail's remote sign out feature to close any sessions that might still be open elsewhere.

Once you send an email, you're no longer in control of the information it contains. The recipients, if they so choose, could forward the email or post its contents in a public place. Even if you know and trust the people you're emailing, that information may become exposed if their accounts become compromised or they get a virus on their machines. 

As a rule of thumb, should you need to provide a credit card number or financial account number to respond to a message, provide it over the phone or in person - not over email. 

Never share your password with anyone. Google does not email you to ask you for your password, your social security number, or other personal information - so don't send it!

Any time you visit a webpage, your computer needs to send and receive information across the Internet. 'https' is used to encrypt data as it is transmitted between computers on the Internet. So look for the "https" in the URL bar of your browser to indicate that the connection between your computer and Gmail's servers is encrypted. 

We use HTTPS on the Gmail login page, and you can choose to protect your entire Gmail session with HTTPS as well. HTTPS can make your mail slower, so we let you make the choice for yourself. Open Settings and choose "Always use https" on the General tab if you want to turn it on.