Gmail is a fantastic service that has changed the way much of the world uses email. It was also the target of a big security breach recently that has left 5 million Google customers exposed. Are you one of the unlucky users whose login credentials were compromised?
Here’s how to find out — and what to do if your Google username and password were exposed in the breach.
First and foremost, visit the following website:
Enter your Gmail email address in the field near the top of the screen and you will be notified immediately if your account was exposed in this latest breach. And just to prove to affected users that this is a legitimate issue, the site will display the first two characters of your password if your credentials were leaked.
So, what should you do if your account is now exposed?
Immediately visit the following link:
https://www.google.com/settings/personalinfo
Clicking on the Security tab on this page will allow you to change your password, and you should do so immediately.
Now, whether or not your login was leaked in this most recent hack, you should take this opportunity to enable 2-step authentication on your Google account.
On the same page linked above, the Security tab shows a “2-Step Verification” listing. Click the settings link next to it and you’ll be walked through the setup process. For those who are unaware, 2-step authentication will text a unique temporary security code to a phone number you provide during the setup. Then, that code must be entered each time you log into your Google account from a new device or with a new service.
