Hotmail Introduces New Option to Protect E-mail Accounts
E-mail risks are the major cause of concern for individuals and organizations worldwide. E-mail accounts are subject to phishing, advance fee fraud, investment and spear phishing scams. E-mail hijacking is also one of the major ways through which attackers attempt to steal personal identities. Cybercriminals may steal personal information and also use compromised accounts to disseminate spam to large number of e-mail accounts including those of friends and relatives of the victim. Some of the common reasons for compromise of e-mail accounts include use of common passwords on multiple online accounts, use of weak passwords, insecure computers and networks, data breach at a website wherein user has provided the e-mail address, making e-mail address public on social media sites and other online accounts.
Usually, victims tend to close the compromised account. Now, Hotmail has introduced a new feature, which allows users to report account hijacking. The new feature allows friends to report compromise of victims account under the ‘Mark as’ option. People may also report an account as compromised, when they mark an e-mail as junk. The new feature is introduced on the premise that people use weak passwords and usually friends became aware of compromise of a victim’s account as they receive spam and phishing e-mails. When users report the hijacking of an account, Hotmail compares the information with the compromise detection system to test the factuality of the claim. If Hotmail identifies that the account is really hijacked, the company marks the account as compromised. On marking the account as compromised, spammers will not be able to access the account. Again, when the victim attempts to access the account they are taken through an account recovery process to regain control of the account. Internet users must use strong and unique passwords. Internet users may benefit from online IT courses to understand security fundamentals and improve cyber security practices.
Hotmail will also stop users from using common passwords to protect the users account from brute force dictionary attacks. Hiring professionals qualified in IT degree programs and security certifications may help developers in understanding different security risks and evolve new security mechanisms.
E-learning and online IT degree programs may help security professionals in understanding different types of risks emanating through e-mails and implementing best practices.
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EC-Council
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Tel: 505-341-3228
EC-Council University is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and offers Master of Security Science (MSS) degree to students from various backgrounds such as graduates, IT Professionals, and military students amongst several others. The MSS is offered as a 100% online degree program and allows EC-Council University to reach students from not only the United States, but from all around the world.
EC-Council is a member-based organization that certifies individuals in cybersecurity and e-commerce skills. It is the owner and developer of 16 security certifications, including Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)/License Penetration Tester (LPT). Its certificate programs are offered in over 60 countries around the world.
EC-Council has trained over 80,000 individuals and certified more than 30,000 members, through more than 450 training partners globally. These certifications are recognized worldwide and have received endorsements from various government agencies including the U.S. federal government via the Montgomery GI Bill, Department of Defense via DoD 8570.01-M, National Security Agency (NSA) and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS). EC-Council also operates the global series of Hacker Halted security conferences.
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