It can be inconvenient, scary, and even dangerous to lose control of your e-mail account to hackers or phishers. All too often there's news of breached accounts and systems in the news. The latest news item tell us than tens of millions of Yahoo, Google, and mail.ru accounts are the hands of the wrong people
After eliminating duplicates, Holden said, the cache contained nearly 57 million Mail.ru accounts - a big chunk of the 64 million monthly active email users Mail.ru said it had at the end of last year. It also included tens of millions of credentials for the world's three big email providers, Gmail, Microsoft and Yahoo, plus hundreds of thousands of accounts at German and Chinese email providers. (Reuters)
Fortunately, Google provides a simple mechanism called "Two-Factor Authentication" that makes it almost impossible for you to lose control of your account. When you access Gmail from a new device, there's one added step - a text message to your cell phone.
You can tell Google which devices to remember, so you don't need to enter this code all the time. If anyone else tries to use your account, they won't have the code and won't get in -- even if they know your password.
2-step verification adds an extra layer of security to your account by requiring you to sign in with something you know (your password) and something you have (a code sent to your phone). Set up 2-Step Verification
You will then see a step-by-step guide which will help you through the setup process.
Once you’re finished, you’ll be taken to the 2-Step Verification settings page again. Be sure to review your settings and add backup phone numbers. The next time you sign in, you’ll receive an SMS with a verification code. You also have the option of using a Security Key for 2-Step Verification.