Records and accounts on the Internet can suffer a wide variety of attacks and an intruder can access or collect information. In this article we are going to focus on the Google account and how it could be stolen . Some basic aspects to take into account and that should be known to prevent this from happening and thus increase security. Keep in mind that we have many services linked to Google, such as email, cloud storage, etc.
Common methods to steal a Google account
Cybercriminals often update and refine the methods they use to attack an online service. For example email accounts, social networks, etc. However, there are some common ones and they are the ones that are most present, such as stealing a Google account .
Simple password guessing
One of the classic and simplest methods is to simply guess the password . Although it is a very important error, many users continue to use passwords such as 123456 and the like. Hackers just have to try a series of simple passwords and steal the account.
That is why it is essential to create passwords that are really strong and complex. Ideally, they should contain letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and other special symbols. All this always in a random way and never use words or digits that relate us, such as our name, mobile number, etc.
Phishing attacks
Undoubtedly another very common method to steal a Google account is Phishing . In this case, the attacker is going to use a bait, which is usually an e-mail where they tell us that there has been an error, that we have to change the password or do something. What they are looking for is that we click on a link that they send us and by entering the password we send it directly to a server controlled by the cybercriminal.
To combat this type of attack, common sense will be essential. We should never click on links that come to us through unknown addresses, especially when they invite us to log in. We could clearly be in a trap and that the Google account was compromised.
Keyloggers
In this case we are facing malware. It is basically a software that we install but that is malicious and its mission is to register all the keys that we press and in this way collect the passwords. They can come when installing a program that is actually fake, when downloading an attachment by mail, etc.
The best way to avoid this, beyond common sense again, is to have security programs in place. A good antivirus can block the download of a malicious file or help us analyze the system and eliminate any viruses that may be there and we do not know it. This will help us to protect the Google account well.
Brute force
A more common method of stealing a Google account is by brute force . Hackers are going to use a series of probable keys and combinations that are usually common. They do all this thanks to a dictionary tool, which tests different options over and over again.
Here, once again, it is going to be essential to have a password that is really strong, that does not have typical words or digits. The length, the fact of being totally random and having varied characters, will be essential to avoid this.
