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Can people hack my Google Gmail account?Dave, I signed up recently for Google's Gmail service, got an invitation from someone I otherwise didn't know, and now all of a sudden the people in my address book are complaining that I'm spamming them and I can't log in to my account any more. What's going on? Actually, thanks to a note from Albert Houseman, I just figured out what might well have happened to you, and it's a sneaky hack that involves just as much social engineering as computer trickery. The key is that you got an invitation from someone you didn't know... Here's how someone who had malicious intent could set you up with a Gmail account and then later hack into your new mailbox and contact list: First, they need a secondary account that isn't a Gmail address. A Yahoo or Hotmail address would work fine. Now, when they generate an invitation for you, they type in your first and last name, but their email address. The invitation is sent to them and they forward it along to you, cut and paste it into a friendly response to your request ("Try this link for an account:") or even just redirect the message so it appears to have come directly from Gmail. But what's different now is that the secondary email address is theirs, not your non-Gmail account: ![]() You sign up, fill in the fields indicated on the Gmail signup form, leave that without thinking because "heck, it's probably just a referral" or similar, and then use your Gmail account without thinking about it again. Some time later, when the hacker figures you've used the account enough that you'll have a good address book, lots of mail in your archive, etc. they go to the Gmail signup page and click on "I forgot my password": ![]() They select to have a new password generated and sent to the secondary mail address - which is their email address, not yours - and you're now locked out of your account while they can pretend to be you as much as they'd like. It's a bit convoluted, but if you are signing up for a Gmail account, make double sure that where it says "Secondary mail" that you have your own address, not someone elses address. Note that you can also change this once you're logged in to your Gmail account by going to your Google Account Information and clicking on Security Question and Contact Info.
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Categorized:
Computer and Internet Basics
(Article 4276,
Written by Dave Taylor)
Tagged: Previous: Date math in Linux shell script? Next: Moving Documents and Settings folder onto second hard disk? Reader Comments To Date: 545Pham Viet Sang said, on December 20, 2005 12:49 AM:
I WANT TO HAVE ACCOUNT Jamie Corbett said, on January 17, 2006 12:07 PM:
I just exited my gmail account by closing Internet Explorer. Afew minutes later I signed on to Explorer again, hit "go to gmail" in favourites, and it went right to my account without asking for my gmail address and password. Dave Taylor said, on January 17, 2006 2:27 PM:
By default, Gmail logs you in for two weeks. If you want to avoid students playing with your mail (a generally good idea!) then make sure you click "logout" rather than just clicking away from the site. Dennis said, on February 11, 2006 5:28 PM:
Heey, Another way to do it is to put nothing in your secondary email address. but i know its harder if you lose your password. BTW 4+18 is the same as 20+2 or 25-3 or 246/12 or... 22 It's a little stupid but you got your reasons i suppose manasa said, on April 29, 2006 7:16 AM:
my gmail account has been idle for 5 days now. Hacked said, on June 26, 2006 10:05 AM:
Hi Dave, raghu said, on July 10, 2006 2:56 PM:
Hi, any other options Cassaundra said, on July 21, 2006 9:35 PM:
someone hacked my gmail and I've tried everything under the sun to get back into it... I need help. I have all sorts of school stuff in there that I saved in my email...please help! laxman said, on August 5, 2006 1:22 AM:
i have a gmail as laxymail@gmail.com i have changed my password last month, but i forgot the same. How can i get my account again or how can i retrieve my password. I also forgot the secondary mail id which i provided at the time of creating account.Please help me. mom said, on August 13, 2006 9:16 AM:
how can i find gmail email address by last name or first name? vikrant said, on August 23, 2006 5:28 AM:
dear sir , prapoornakumar said, on September 15, 2006 2:20 PM:
i have a gmail account. i have changed my password last month, but i forgot the same. How can i get my account again or how can i retrieve my password. I also forgot the secondary mail id which i provided at the time of creating account.Please help me. kamalkakr said, on September 19, 2006 11:16 PM:
hi my sir! annoxero said, on October 5, 2006 8:56 AM:
not much of a hack i'm afraid. it's no more than a mistake by a careless/ignorant user. Then again there's always a slim chance of that happening I guess. archana said, on October 12, 2006 5:01 AM:
have a gmail as archie.dalz@gmail.com i have changed my password last month, but i forgot the same. How can i get my account again or how can i retrieve my password. I also forgot the secondary mail id which i provided at the time of creating account.Please help me.contect me at this address dimple26in@rediffmail.com Saras said, on October 17, 2006 9:28 AM:
hi dave, Sneha Dua said, on November 17, 2006 7:34 AM:
There's one form with gmail abuse team that you can use if your gmail account is hacked. It means the hacker may have changed your seconodary email address and secret Q/A. I'm not able to surf from office :) but you may get some link from here gmail.google.com/support/bin/request.py?security=1&ctx=security If you still need help - send me a mail Note - getting account back is not easy. You would need lot of info esp related too who invited you, the original verification code (that goes to person's initial secondary address), invitee original email address, date of account opening and so on Love Vidisha said, on November 22, 2006 8:21 AM:
I have been using my gmail account for the past 1 year and last week, I could not log into my account with my password. I have not changed the pwd...my resumes and contacts are in the mails... I am not able to find password recovery link even after 5 days..I am tensed what to do...Please help me out... Vidu Abhay kumar said, on November 30, 2006 9:06 PM:
I want change of my gmail account password. Joe Johannson said, on December 7, 2006 1:31 AM:
Why the hell doesn't GMail just show you a simple list of your last (x) number of logins? Time, date, and from what IP. That way you would at least KNOW if someone was using it. As it is, 300 people could be logging into your account and you would never even realize it. Mat said, on December 9, 2006 11:39 PM:
Arnab Banerjee said, on December 13, 2006 4:11 AM:
please,change my password.i am in real problem stefan said, on December 14, 2006 2:31 PM:
I have forgotten the password to my gmail account as well - I have some university information on it i really need. My secondary email address no longer exists and I don't know the answer to my security question! Please help - I need to get into my account. If you have any ideas please email me at stefandodds@googlemail.com Prasanta said, on December 15, 2006 4:29 AM:
Dear Sir ajmal said, on December 27, 2006 10:00 PM:
I want to change my Gmail address, so please send me way to do. Jithin said, on January 5, 2007 5:15 AM:
Somebody had hacked my gmail account. he is continuing his habit from the past few months. I thhink in every week he changes my password and modifies my orkut profiles, deletes friends and messages. Interesting thing is that whenever such insident is occured,i can login into my account using one of my previous password(That i used 4 months back) . I changed my password, secret question several times. but all become waste. Please help me to solve this problem. alanpro777 said, on January 13, 2007 4:11 PM:
also, if ur password and username is not needed to access ur gmail, turning off the autocomplete from IE will help! Abhi said, on January 14, 2007 10:30 AM:
HEY FRIENDS U'LL GET UR PASSWORD U CAN LOOK UP IN FORGOT PASSWORD N U'LL GET THT N REMEMBER TO TYPE SECURITY QUESTION N ANSWER THEN U'LL GET.... ;) dia said, on January 17, 2007 2:14 PM:
Hey, IOK said, on February 17, 2007 9:26 AM:
Hi Dave, I was searching on cyber and found this site. Can U teach me how to hack password from gmail? Nidhi said, on February 17, 2007 10:37 AM:
I have made a orkut account,in January,2006..didnt use it even for once, I have forgotten the userid and password and also my email id..I need to delete that account, Can u pls help me.......... kumesh said, on February 21, 2007 4:18 PM:
i need information about user name gmail id lool said, on February 22, 2007 2:19 AM:
hi.. i have a gmail id i have changed my password last week, but i forgot it. How can i get my account again or how can i retrieve my password. I also forgot the secondary mail id which i provided at the time of creating account. help me please. rafeek said, on February 23, 2007 8:23 AM:
Hi, any other options prince said, on February 23, 2007 11:46 PM:
My gmail account has been hacked by a person I know. I wrote to the tech support but they couldn't help. I opened it last year, and didn't used it for about 2 months. Then I got a message from that account, and of course I couldn't get back in because the password was changed. tony harjani said, on March 9, 2007 3:47 AM:
i have forgottoen my gmail password . xyz said, on March 13, 2007 11:51 PM:
hello plz help..... i hav an orkut account & i was using it 4 abt 1 hr and suddenly power went then after when it came, i selected www.orkut.com and waite & suddenly i see this message dat: Manikandan said, on March 14, 2007 1:19 PM:
HI!, amitav said, on March 17, 2007 1:49 AM:
hi dave, somebody hacked my gmail account. plz tell me how to hack a gmail. i know its ur cup of tea Erik said, on March 24, 2007 10:08 AM:
HURRAH!!!! aswin said, on March 28, 2007 4:56 AM:
i forgot my google password and it is being cahanged.now i ll have to answer the security question but i don remember the answer so help me Attu said, on March 29, 2007 3:09 AM:
I wanna knw who hacked my e-mail n got my password n can u tell how 2 hack others e-mail passwords hany said, on April 16, 2007 2:30 PM:
hi dave!! please man some one stole my gmail and change the secondary mail ID and i dont have secret quastion please i need your help to back it i have important things in it please man help me :( hany said, on April 16, 2007 2:32 PM:
hello dave!! please man some one stole my gmail and change the secondary mail ID and i dont have secret quastion please i need your help to back it i have important things in it please man help me :( vandana said, on April 17, 2007 7:05 AM:
i forgot my google password and it is being cahanged.now i ll have to answer the security question but i don remember the answer so help me Akash Soni said, on April 17, 2007 10:21 AM:
HI Ari said, on April 17, 2007 2:36 PM:
Hey bro, rohit said, on April 20, 2007 3:01 PM:
hello.. vipin said, on April 23, 2007 11:24 AM:
hi, i want to change my email id...please can u tell me how i change my email id??? Krisbel said, on April 24, 2007 4:18 PM:
somebody stole my myspace password & i can't log in, plz help me, since along time i cannot log in plz help me whut is my password for my myspace email <kt_dominican94@hotmail.com ansh said, on April 25, 2007 4:12 AM:
hi dave! splashingdude said, on April 26, 2007 2:29 AM:
i want 2 know how to hack a google account or an orkut account??? parisnajd said, on April 27, 2007 8:58 AM:
any one forget his password should visit this page https://www.google.com/accounts/ForgotPasswd?service=mail&fpOnly=1&dEM=
victor said, on April 27, 2007 10:35 AM:
HI!! srinivas said, on May 6, 2007 11:47 AM:
Can I change my orkut username with my another existing Gmail id? pls give reply mail with answer milz said, on May 7, 2007 12:43 AM:
Hi, i just want to know whether there is any way one can find out about the no of email accounts being used on a machine by a user? dhanapal said, on May 11, 2007 9:23 AM:
recently after receiving an invitation i have created a gmail account. but in a hurry i have entered the first name and last name incorrectly while registering.i want to change the first and the last name with out changing the account. Ganesh said, on May 29, 2007 8:31 AM:
hi my uncle came to know my password i just want to change my password in gamil id can u tell me how to change valar said, on June 27, 2007 7:05 AM:
i forgot my password ,also i forgot my secondary email id, bhanu said, on June 27, 2007 10:18 PM:
i have forgotten my pwd of my gmail account and also secondary email. pls help me yogesh said, on June 27, 2007 11:13 PM:
hi rajat said, on June 27, 2007 11:19 PM:
I just exited my gmail account by closing Internet Explorer. Afew minutes later I signed on to Explorer again, hit "go to gmail" in favourites, and it went right to my account without asking for my gmail address and password. Karthikeyan said, on July 2, 2007 3:47 AM:
Somebody had hacked my gmail account. He has changed my password and also changed the secret question and the answer. The same is linked to my orkut profile and am unable to get in touch with my friends and have some important informations on my gmail account. Please help me to solve this problem. rex said, on July 5, 2007 4:13 AM:
HOW Can i hack someone gmail account. sharich61 said, on July 5, 2007 11:02 AM:
hi the secondary address he used is obsolete what can we do to reset it Sharon vrege said, on July 7, 2007 7:58 PM:
How do I compose a Gmail address so as to be able to send and receive Email messages ? nitin said, on July 7, 2007 11:41 PM:
sir plz tell me how to change my gmail account passwd anud said, on July 8, 2007 1:48 AM:
Hi, raider said, on July 16, 2007 3:52 PM:
My problem is that someone hack my daughter gmail account and changed their password and secondary email adress. Kapil said, on July 16, 2007 6:34 PM:
I have a gmail account, apart from the one I mentioned in my comment. I opened my gmail after a few months and have forgotten my original password. I dont remember if i gave my secondary mail id while registering. I have done "I forgot my password" option to enter a new password and have checked all my other mail ids for change password option email. But, like I said I dont think I gave a secondary id while registering. also dont have a security question. Is it possible to know my initial password, that is currently active. I hope someone can help me in cracking this problem. naveen andrew said, on July 17, 2007 11:20 PM:
how can i get my old password instead of resetting to a new one. jack said, on July 20, 2007 2:03 PM:
sir, pls pls help me.i forgot my gmail password. i didnt give any secondary email in that..unfortunately i forgot the secret answer also.i have only my id.how will i get my password.pls help me..i have so many important mails in that. thank you ujjwal said, on July 22, 2007 8:40 PM:
Hi, any other options
Vinit Shah said, on July 23, 2007 3:37 PM:
pls pls help me.my gmail password hacked by someone. i didnt give any secondary email in that..i have only my id.how will i get my password.pls help me..i have so many important mails in that. anisha said, on July 26, 2007 8:20 AM:
sir,i unexpectedly sent a secret mail to my friends gmail id .i never want him to see that mail.please help me sir.i know this is a difficult task but please have concern on me sir Donald Lowrey said, on July 26, 2007 8:48 AM:
How do I change my gmail address ? loco007 said, on July 27, 2007 11:12 AM:
how can i get logged into different servers at a time , if possible? and how to use the proxy servers? kina said, on July 29, 2007 5:34 PM:
I Have a gmail and i just changed my password and cant remember it. I need to know if its possible to retrieve it with my old password ali said, on August 7, 2007 11:15 PM:
hey hi i've been using orkut since february i dont what hashappened suddenly look i made an account of power scrap after that whenever i scrap somebody it says the page is invalidwhat does it mean my account has been hacked or what > jelsnl said, on August 7, 2007 11:47 PM:
I recently set up a gmail account, unfortunately I forgot the password. I have no secondary account but the security question that they are asking me, I have no clue what the answer is. Is there anything you can do to help? praveen said, on August 9, 2007 12:18 AM:
I recently set up a gmail account, unfortunately I forgot the password. I have no secondary account but the security question that they are asking me, I have no clue what the answer is. Is there anything you can do to help? Zahra Kanji said, on August 10, 2007 11:32 AM:
Hi, I forgot my gmail password and I cant recall the secret answer. My secondary email address that I provided when I signed up for gmail is no longer valid. Please help!!! thiha1myat said, on August 13, 2007 12:39 AM:
I forgot my gmail password and I cant recall the secret answer. My secondary email address that I provided when I signed up for gmail is no longer valid. Please help Amanda said, on August 16, 2007 7:14 PM:
I logged into gmail fine on Friday and Saturday morning they told me my password was wrong. Waited patiently for 5 days and now they’re asking me for my frequent flyer number!?!?!? I have no access to any email (I dropped my secondary when I got on gmail 2 years ago). Any ideas or help you can offer...I'm desperate!!! anshU said, on August 17, 2007 12:37 AM:
dear sir I m not accessing the gmail account .I have forgot the password in Gmail.account.plz send the my passowrd.my mail ID is Lavineet2004@rediffmail.com viz said, on August 18, 2007 11:32 PM:
could u plz help me to get back my password? updesh said, on August 19, 2007 2:09 AM:
i unfortunetly deleted mt orkut google acount plz i want that account back Anshika madan said, on August 26, 2007 12:08 PM:
Hi, shan pae pote said, on August 27, 2007 9:38 AM:
i really forgot my id password, which have my educational data. plz send to my password to daffodil.lay@gmail.com ,, thanks alot Vandana said, on August 29, 2007 2:24 AM:
Hi... sharma said, on August 29, 2007 5:15 AM:
hi, Collins said, on August 31, 2007 8:47 AM:
Hi dave, y'day someone hack my gmail passoword and changed my secondary email. Now i dont' know how to retreive it. I have lots of confidential file and documents attached in it. please help K H said, on September 1, 2007 8:02 PM:
hi dave, i hope you read this. and i hope that you can help me as i am completely screwed. Joseph said, on September 9, 2007 4:15 PM:
There´s someone sending some trash ofeending me by anonymous gmail : marinasantiagoatc@gmail.com. Please help me to find his password or something to find who is or where he is sending me eimail (IP) or what do you suggest... Thanks joseph said, on September 10, 2007 4:14 AM:
Hi Dave, some one hacked my yahoo is and also changed all the basic info so i am able to login, my yahoo id is noyskie_jst@yahoo.com plz help in this raman taneja said, on September 10, 2007 5:13 AM:
Hi my gmail account has been hacked by a person i know raman.germs@gmail.com, can u plz help me out to retrieve my password. Arundha said, on September 15, 2007 9:02 AM:
hello sir.......i need 2 knw how 2 hack a yahoo id...plz help me ...mail me NBA said, on September 18, 2007 12:15 AM:
Somebody had hacked my gmail account. he is continuing his habit from the past few months. I thhink in every week he changes my password and modifies my orkut profiles, deletes friends and messages. monica said, on September 18, 2007 11:15 AM:
hey david someone is hacking into my homtail account and getting all the information i had there.. and copying and pasting and sending it to someone else... is there anyway you can find out the location of an e-mail adress... and write to me all this shitty stuff.... i have the e-mail adress of this person.. is there anyway to find out who this person is???
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Hey - Iam a Member by Invite and Once-upon a -time I was able to find the place where there were lots and lots of mail that had been saved and I do not know where it is now,,,I have spent many hours searching and Google has tried to get my drift but failed. What is the secret?