[TUT] Securing Your Email Address

[Omniscient]

I have for years now setup a complex system of securing my email address. While it's one thing to protect against viruses and phishing. It's entirely different to protect your email address.

Many advise to use different passwords for your many accounts. This is good advise but it lacks one basic fact. If they get your email you are owned. Some of us have used the same email for dozens maybe even hundreds of sites. You could have a different password for them all but if your email account is compromised you'll be vulnerable on them all.

Most sites allow a password reset or password forgotten feature attached to your email. Any entry into your email will leave you completely open. For this reason I am going to show you a method to protect your email account.

One problem is people using a gmail, msn or yahoo email address. These large providers which offer free services often do not work well with you for recovering stolen accounts. They provide no phone contact and often don't have any information on file to check the truth on who owns the account. And by the time you do recover your account the damage may already have been done.

Here is the method I have used for years.

1. Setup a Gmail account.
2. Register a domain. I recommend Namecheap but many use Godaddy as well. For security minded individuals I recommend Moniker.
3. Host the domain somewhere that will allow email forwards. Namecheap comes with this feature free with registration.
4. Setup an email on your domain that will forward to your new Gmail account.
5g. Never publish your Gmail account email.

How does this protect you? Well for starters you will be publishing your domain email address. This can't be brute forced. It's not a pop3 box so there is no login password.

The Gmail account is never published. So no one knows to brute force it. It's also considered disposable for that reason. If it does get stolen you don't care.

So what happens in my security setup when your email is compromised? You simply change the forward to a new Gmail account. The hacker is instantly prevented from causing any new damage.

I have used this for years very successfully. It cuts down on spam and has done well imho to prevent compromised security. I even take it a step further and use multiple forwards and email address.

When you own the domain you have more control. You can login to Namecheap and simply alter the forward so that any email the hacker might be intercepting gets stopped.

Enjoy.