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My account's been hijacked / Can you send my password?

Two questions, from different people:

1. plz send me my friends yahoo messenger password?

2. Hi Dave, i really hope u can help me here.. i had an account in Hotmail and some one hacked my email ID.It was really bad cause the bloody hacker had apparently forwarded all my private emails to my other contacts... its been so shattering and beyond explanations..to add to the misery my secret question has also been changes.. ive lost contact with so many of my friends as i have lost their ID's :(.. Plzzzzzz can you help me and tell me if anything can be done at all in this case ?? I would be looking forward to your email desperately.

Dave's Answer:

It never fails to surprise me how often I receive questions about hacking passwords, sneaking into other people's accounts (someone recently asked if I could help him hack into his brother-in-law's account to see if the guy was cheating on his sister, then was quite abusive when I said I couldn't assist!) and the flip side of that coin, people saying their accounts were hacked and their passwords changed.

In all cases, no-one can help. At least, no-one outside of the hosting companies, but even then, neither Hotmail nor Yahoo can really assist because they just don't have any way to confirm that the person on the phone or in email is the owner of the account.

Generally, though, it is fascinating to see how many people want to spy on others, sneak onto their accounts or cause malicious damage. If you don't already have a solid, strong password on your web-based email accounts, you really need to change them immediately. (remember, letters + digits + punctuation are good passwords. So "herefido" isn't a good password at all, but "4myDOGGY:)" is a great password).

I would also encourage anyone using a free web-based email account to ensure that the signin screen on which you enter your account and password pair are secure with SSL (that is, they're "https" not "http" addresses). If your web-based email service doesn't support secure access or login, then do not access it on any public terminal, because you just have no idea what's happening behind the scenes on the computer.

If you want lots more tips about web-based mail security, you might be very interested in the Connect Safely Wireless Security and Privacy Guide that my friend Chris Buechler and I wrote. It's also full of really useful information about wifi security and keeping those identity thieves at bay too, as you would expect. It's also really easy to follow so you won't get lost in technical jargon and baffling tips and techniques.

If you're wedded to something like Hotmail and are willing to live with the limitations and security risks, then at least create a great password, and don't share it with anyone. Even a cute hearthrob. Sharing your email password isn't "romantic", it's dumb.

Finally, you might well consider sporadically exporting your address book and saving all of your email archives onto your local PC so that if something terrible does happen you're not completely hosed. Google's Gmail system, for example, offers an "Export Contacts" feature that makes it easy to squirrel away a copy of your address book.

And yes, it is a drag to hear of people with Yahoo, Hotmail, AIM, and similar programs have their accounts apparently hijacked. It happens. Protect yourself!

These are reasons that I am a promoter of Google's Gmail program too: the fact that every page served is through a secure SSL connection is a big winner in my book!

Would you like an invitation to receive a Gmail account? Then please read this article: Get a free Gmail account

Additional reading:

• How to recover your Yahoo password
• Can people hack your Gmail account?
• Export your AOL Address Book

Help others find this article at Del.icio.us, Digg, Netscape, Reddit, and Simpy.

Categorized: Computer and Internet Basics (Article 5921)
Tagged: aim, gmail, hotmail, passwords, yahoo
Previous: I want to write my memoirs. Where do I start?
Next: How do I get rid of AOL Search on my Taskbar?

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Comments

I can't stress how important it is to watch where you log in. I highly recommend not logging into your Yahoo or Hotmail etc from a public library or school. I took a lot of cookies home one day after school just to see... and I could have eaten a lot of yummies had I the motivation. You best watch yourselves, people! Not everyone is as unmotivated as I am.
The other imporant point is to be careful with your "security question". Even with a great password, if everyone knows your first school's mascot or your mother's maiden name, then you're "secuirty question" is actually less secure than your password. Choose your own question and answer if possible, and make sure it is something that only you know and will remember when the time comes.
For the really paranoid, there are random-password generators available. Use these and even change your password once a month or so for good security. Many large companies force their employees to use complex passwords (like Dave said) and to change the password at certain times.
Posted by: Matthew Poer at February 10, 2006 7:53 PM

please am joojo a friend promised me to sneak into my yahoo account box. yeah he has done and change my password and he is not telling me that, i want you to help me out with this and to retain back my pssword again.
my yahoo ID was exxmal@yahoo.com
PW exxmal
i think my secert ques: was what was your last school attended amd it was AKAB COMPLEX SCHOOL
my date of birth 10 JUNE 1985
Please help me out thus all i can remember.
Felix.
Posted by: duodu felix at September 23, 2006 4:18 AM

yo dave someone changed my myspace password and i dont know how to log on can you help me
Posted by: kyle at October 19, 2006 2:55 PM

dave i dont remember my password for my myspace. which is jazyjen109.. and then to log in you have to type jen69@aim.com. but i dont know my password.. my email address is jazyjen109@aol.com. but they keep sending me the wrong password cuz they person that made it for me put it under another address.. can you please try to get it for me i think it was like i love you b.. but i put that in and it doesnt work.. please help.
Posted by: jennifer at January 31, 2007 11:02 AM

i need to get my password back so i could log back on myspace
Posted by: Erik at March 2, 2007 11:15 PM

hello there. well plz can u find me the password of the address of noura1st@hotmail.com and send it on the address of noonast@hotmail.com
Posted by: noora at April 25, 2007 4:27 AM

Hi Dave! Just about a week ago I became so “fortunate” to join the group of people that have their Yahoo accounts hacked. I’ve tried to recover my password, but oddly enough the security question doesn’t sound like the one I remember I chose when I set up the account (about 7 years ago). Maybe they changed the security question when they changed my password or maybe I just can’t remember. Either way it’s all the same, I can’t use my mail nor the messenger. And I know that the easy way out would be to make a new account but I have some emails that I really don’t want to lose. And about what you were saying that you can’t be sure if I am who I say I am, if you would and will recover my password I think I can give you enough proofs that the account is really mine. My Yahoo id is oana_mailro. Thanks.
Posted by: Oana at July 4, 2007 3:01 PM

I got an email supposedly from the Hotmail staff stating they needed a verification check. Without thinking I filled in the form and sent it.
Now my hotmail acount will not recognize my password thus no access to my email account. I have been hijacked right? My fault. Is there anyway to get a new password from Hotmail?
Oh and all my friends are getting emails saying I am stranded in Africa and send money to bail me out.
Posted by: Willard Van De Bogart at March 3, 2008 3:18 AM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!

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