How to Check if Your Gmail Account Has Been Hacked

How to Check if Your Gmail Account Has Been Hacked

Thu, May 20, 2010

 

If you’re worried about email security, here is a step by step guide to help you check and determine if your Gmail account has been hacked or compromised in any way.

Step 1: Find the ‘Last Account Activity’ Section Your Inbox

 

At the bottom of your Gmail inbox there is a ‘Last Account Activity’ section.  Click on ‘details’ to launch the full blown monitor.

Step 2: See who has accessed your Gmail account recently

Next, what you’ll see is a table of the most recent activity from your Gmail account.  It shows you

• How it was accessed (Browser/mobile etc)
• Where exactly the IP address is (So you can do some further digging)
• When it was accessed

Step 3: Understand the IP addresses – Has your Gmail really been hacked?

If you see IP addresses from different countries, don’t be too quick to panic.  If you use any 3rd party services which hook-up to your Gmail account, they will almost certainly show up in your activity log.  To do you own investigation, you can use DomainTools to identify the IP address. This will help you differentiate normal activity and your Gmail account being hacked.

Step 4: Understand the alerts – Google’s way of highlighting suspicious activity

Google will also do it’s fair share of monitoring, and will also alert you if it sees suspicious activity both in your inbox, as well as your recent activity log.  When this happens, and the IP addresses look suspicious, it is advisable to play it safe, assume your Gmail account has been hacked, and change your passwords immediately. 

Step 5: Sign Out All Other Sessions – If you forgot to sign out on a public computer

If you are worried you did not not sign out of a public computer, you can ‘sign out all other sessions’.  This won’t fix any hacked Gmail accounts, but it will resolve any careless mistakes. This is also useful if you happen to lose your mobile phone and you want to ensure your email is not read by others.

Step 6: What to do if your Gmail account has really been hacked

The first thing you do is change both your password and security question right away.  Then make sure your new choices are very secure.  Google themselves have some really good tips .  For example in the case of security questions:

• Choose a question only you know the answer to – make sure the question isn’t associated with your password.
• Pick a question that can’t be answered through research (for example, avoid your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, your first or last name, your social security number, your phone number, your pet’s name, etc.).
• Make sure your answer is memorable, but not easy to guess. Use an answer that is a complete sentence for even more security.

So there you have it.  A step-by-step guide on fully understanding Gmail’s account activity log, and how to check if your Gmail account has been hacked :)

Behind The Burger: The Sad Reality of Ronald McDonald

Posted by: Scotty Trigg on May 21st, 2010

Ronald McDonald has long been an admired figure. Kids the world over brighten up when they see the affable clown, with his unmistakable red hair, yellow jumpsuit and striped shirt. They know upon spotting him that a chicken nuggie Happy Meal (replete with toy) is not too far in the future. But little does anyone know the true and sad story behind the clown. Don’t be fooled by that big bright red smile…there are tears underneath. Wipe away the makeup and you’ll find something not so pretty.

It all started out so innocent. He was quite the gentleman…just lounging in the park.

He was respectful to the police.

He helped the elderly.

But then people started to treat him as an idol. They even knelt before him. This quickly got to his head.

Women began coming on to him…at first in was seemingly innocent. A kiss on the cheek here and there.

Shortly things got out of control. He began drinking.

His health deteriorated and for one stretch he even lost his hair.

He started harassing women.

He began soliciting masseuses that offered “happy endings.”

He quickly realized the power he had over women and how easily he could get what he wanted from them.

His appetite for sex escalated and he quickly became addicted.

He particularity enjoyed receiving “head”.

He was not one to turn down a regular romp…

…but also would venture to the more extreme.

Women were not enough and he was soon spotted with men.

…and eventually turned to pedophilia.

After all his sexcapades, his mental well-being and general health declined. He was seen homeless at times.

The long arm of the law had to pick him up on occasion. Usually drunk and in a stupor. Sometimes passed out in a park.

His last resort was to turn his internal pain and suffering to rage…but he ended up attacking the wrong person….

…a man with connections. He was held at gun point…his life flashed before his eyes…and for that last moment he realized the mistake in his ways. How far he’d veered from his good ol’ days…

…but it was too late. In a hail of gun fire he was taken out…by none other than Jack himself.

And that is the sad sad tale behind the once respected and loved clown of the Golden Arches. Let this be a lesson to you kids. Don’t take the route that Ronald did. Behave yourself, mind your manners and be a good citizen. In the long run you’ll be better off (even if you have a shitty job).

Migrants with IT skills better off under changes to visa entry system

Applicant IT skills requirements shrink from 14 specific skills to 5 generic areas including developers, programmers, software engineers, business and systems analysts

• Julia Talevski (ARN)
• 20 May, 2010 17:18

Industry bodies have praised changes to the visa system which will allow more migrants with IT skills to move to Australia.

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the changes, which are part of the new skilled occupations list, would allow industries to get the skilled workers they need.

Instead of basing an applicant’s skills on 14 specific computer occupations, the new list has job titles which are more generic. They include developers, programmers, software engineers, business and systems analysts. The changes are expected to be introduced in July.

“We intend to fundamentally change the way we target skilled migrants to restore integrity to the skilled migration program,” Senator Evans said.

Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) chairman, Ian Birks, said the Immigration Department had looked to greatly simplify the job codes on the old occupations in demand list which the skilled occupation list replaces.

“The key difference is previously they were being very specific, where they tended to say things like SAP specialist, whereas now they’re more generic,” he said. “It provides increased flexibility because it allows people looking to migrate and our members who are looking to hire people, to see them as more general skills-based rather than specific categories.”

“It’s not a major change in terms of the numbers of people that will come through the industry, but it means that we have an ability to characterise what we need in general terms.”

Birks said the IT industry was a major user of migration programs and it will help to depress the skills shortage.

Australian Computer Society (ACS) CEO, Bruce Lakin said it would be helpful to encourage some migration from international workers under the skilled categories to help expand the workforce.

“It’s a more efficient approach, they’re not looking at the immediate shortages today but what we require over the next three years,” Lakin said. “Strategically, that’s a good thing.”

Lakin was concerned about the 457 visa, which he said only satisfied the needs of particular sponsors. It was questionable over what it had done to advance the overall IT industry.

“One weakness of that [457 visa] is the judgement on what value those workers bring to the Australian economy,” he said. “Whereas the Skills List Occupation approach is an independent assessment of the skills based on industry-wide rather than sponsor specific requirements, arguably there’s a greater certainty of those skills being what the economy requires.”

Source: http://www.arnnet.com.au/

12 of The Most Stressful Jobs in America

It’s no secret that many of us get stressed out by our jobs. Office politics, bureaucracy and the 9-5 grind can all make getting through the day a serious drag. That being said, the normal stressors of office or retail work are a world apart from withstanding emotional distress or physical danger on a daily basis. To spend even a day in such a position is to gain an entirely new perspective on what it means to be stressed in the workplace. Today, Billshrink examines 12 of the most truly stressful jobs in America (and the diciest aspects of each job description.)

Inner City Police Officer

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Police officers in general have one of the most demanding job descriptions of all. Investigating suspicious activity, breaking up domestic violence and arresting criminals all regularly place officers in harm’s way. The life of an inner city cop, however, produces an entirely different class of stress. While an officer in a peaceful suburb might manage to sidestep a great deal of trouble, the typical New York or Los Angeles police officer is constantly pressed into risky situations involving some of the most dangerous people on the street. Shootouts, stabbings and brutal assault are not cause for alarm and quickly become routine parts of the workweek.

Divorce Attorney

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Plenty of attorneys have anxiety-prone jobs (defense lawyers and federal prosecutors come to mind), but few are made to withstand the day in, day out pummeling that divorce attorneys can encounter. Imagine for a moment trying to be the calm, rational mediator between a heated ex-couple fighting bitterly over child custody, bank accounts, business interests or real estate. In addition to verbal abuse and adult temper tantrums, divorce attorneys have actually been attacked by enraged ex-husbands and wives harmed by the outcomes of the separation.

Coach or GM of a Professional Team

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A surprising number of people (including sports fans) underestimate the stress and pressure involved in coaching or running a professional sports team. A team’s GM, for instance, lays out a plan for the entire organization, including which types of players will be acquired, how much they will be paid, and whether to compete now or “rebuild” for success further down the road. In cities with rabid fans (like New York), GMs are routinely scapegoated, insulted and second-guessed. If the team deteriorates badly enough, fans flood the talk radio waves and blogosphere demanding that the GM be fired. Similar pressures are felt by coaches, who make the important in-game decisions.

Bail Bondsman

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Certain occupations by their very nature require dealing with dangerous, suspicious or untrustworthy classes of people. The working life of a bail bondsman is a classic example of this. Earning a living in this field involves putting up bail money for suspected criminals and collecting payment from them thereafter. Unsurprisingly, though, a great many of these people turn around and flee the area before their court date, stiffing the bail bonds company in the process. When that happens, the company is not only in the hole for the money they put up, but must also now apprehend the runaway fugitive.

Warrant Unit

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It is relatively uncommon for police departments in small towns to issue arrest warrants. In big cities, the situation is the opposite: arrest warrants are issued on a constant, daily basis for a wide range of crimes. Given the higher number of warrants, simply hoping that police officers passively encounter the criminals is an untenable strategy. Instead, police departments in major cities have warrant units whose officers are responsible for actively pursuing and apprehending the criminals being sought. Of course, criminals for whom warrants have been issued are usually taking great pains not to be found.
 

Bomb Squad Officer

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Another stressful and unique subset of city police departments is the bomb squad. When suspicious packages appear or bomb threats get called in, bomb squad officers are dispatched to evaluate the situation. While the scares often turn out to be harmless, these officers are relied upon to defuse explosives and advise the rest of the force about any evacuation plans or precautions that become necessary. With not only their lives at stake but also those of everyone nearby, working for the bomb squad is something only the truly strong-willed should even consider.

Hostage Negotiator

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Few situations are as pressure-filled and anxiety-ridden as intense hostage negotiations. When armed fugitives hide behind human shields and make obscene demands for their release, professional hostage negotiators are called in. Only the coolest of heads can prevail amidst such nerve-wracking and emotionally charged circumstances. A successful negotiation means the safe release of the hostages. A failed negotiation means the hostages (and potentially the negotiator himself) get killed.
 

Alaskan Crab Fisherman

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As the hit Discovery Channel show Deadliest Catch routinely demonstrates, Alaskan crab fishing involves more sheer physical danger than virtually any other job. Sent out to sea in teams, crab fishermen navigate some of the most turbulent and frigid waters on earth in search of crabs to resell. Their boats are frequently tossed about by icy waves and can even capsize during storms. Worst yet, crab fishermen are typically paid by the crab, rather than by the hour. Therefore, a thoroughly miserable yet unsuccessful crab fishing expedition could lead to little or no pay whatsoever.

Repo Men

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Like a bail bondsman, a repo man routinely finds himself rubbing shoulders with the shady underbelly of society. When others dread the stack of paperwork waiting to be filled out on their desks, repo men lie awake wondering how they’re going to take a truck from a 6′5 biker who’s been skipping payments. Naturally, such people rarely surrender their property peacefully. A repo man, therefore, must not only possess great bravery in the face of resistance, but also the physical strength to overcome it.
 

Coal Miner

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Darkness, tight spaces and sparse oxygen all represent stressors for most of the population. Unfortunately, each of these things fits the standard, daily job description of a coal miner. Once a mine is ready for exploration, teams of miners venture deep inside with oxygen masks and head lamps. Whether they come back out is another story. Coal miners can easily become trapped if the mine collapses, and to skillfully extract coal while being constantly aware of that threat is no easy task.

Point Man (Army)

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A point man has arguably the most stressful job in the entire U.S. Army. As Wikipedia explains, point men assume “the first and most exposed position in a combat military formation.” In the same way that a group of penguins pushes one unlucky bird off the cliff to test the waters, an Army unit sends the point man into enemy territory to feel out the threats that await. By assuming this role, a point man has a higher probability of being hurt or killed than almost any other Army position.
 

Air Traffic Controller

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One of the only things preventing horrific airplane crashes are skilled, precise air traffic controllers. Several planes at a time are usually taking off or landing at any given airport, and it is the job of the air traffic controller to instruct each pilot as to when they can do so. Giving a land or take off signal too soon or too late can (and has) result in a crash that is solely the fault of the air traffic controller. Most people would undoubtedly find it stressful to know that each direction they gave at work killed or saved hundreds of people.
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