We all fear that our Google account will be stolen and that it will pass into the hands of a hacker, but even worse is that they are spying on us and not knowing it. And it is that, at some point someone has been able to get hold of your account name and password and be monitoring everything you do without you noticing it. The intruder remains hidden and leaves no footprints, which makes it quite difficult to detect with the naked eye.
However, there are ways to suspect that someone may be accessing your Google account other than you. For example, you see that emails have been opened that you have not opened, operations have been carried out with your account that you do not remember, or you receive emails from services that you do not know. These are some clues that you are not the only one visiting the account. Logically, you don't have to wait or watch for this to happen, before it's too late you can see if someone else is entering. How? We explain it to you below.
The first thing you have to do is enter your Google account and log in. Just to the left of the screen you will see the Security section. Press here. This will take you to a new screen where you will find the section you need to check who other than you is logging into your account.
Go down and find Your devices. In this section you will see all the devices that have recently logged into your account. You can not only know the type of device, if it is a computer, mobile or tablet and the manufacturer, also the country and the time of access.
Click on Manage devices to see all the deployed devices in more detail. Here you can see more specific information , such as the first login, when was the last time you entered, the IP address and the browsers you have logged in to.
If you find a device that is not yours, or a date when you know for sure that you did not use the Google account, then there is no doubt: someone else is logging into your account.
What to do if you detect that someone has entered your Google account
In the case of seeing that an unknown device is entering your Google account, the first thing you have to do is close access to that device. To do this, click on Manage devices. You already know that this section is in the Your devices section. Now go to Don't recognize a device? A message will then appear on the screen advising you that your account will be protected by logging out of all devices, except the one you are using at that time.
The system will also take you to change your password, another of the necessary steps to protect your account. When changing your password, avoid simple passwords that contain your pet's name, city where you live, your date of birth or personal data that someone could easily detect. It is best if the password mixes letters and numbers alternating with upper and lower case. If you don't know how to design it, always use an online password generator, such as clavesegura.org or lastpass.com.
Activate 2-Step Verification
Another of our recommendations to avoid future ills is that you activate two-step verification, with which you will add a double layer of security to your account. To activate this option you only have to enter the web page that Google has enabled for it and click on the Start button.
With the two-step verification, every time you log into your Google account, you will need the password and a verification code, which you will receive on your mobile via SMS. Once inside the new screen, click on Start.
First of all you will have to log in with your account, even if the account was already started previously. This is an important step to prevent someone from accidentally setting it up on your computer if you have left the session logged in, for example in a public place. On the next screen, you will need to enter your mobile phone number and select whether at the time of receiving the verification code you want it to be via text message or through a phone call. Click next.
A new screen will be displayed for you to write the code that has just arrived on your phone. Enter it and click Next again.
If you have written the code correctly, you will see a new message on the screen indicating that it has worked well and if you now want to activate two-step verification. If so, click on Activate.
Password Protection Alert
For greater security, and if you use Google Chrome as your default browser, you want to have this extension installed. Basically, with Password Protection Alert you will automatically receive notifications whenever your Google password is used to log into non-Google websites. Also, the extension will detect malicious websites before the password is entered to prevent it from falling into the hands of hackers.
Once you have installed the extension, it will start working automatically the next time you enter your Google password in any company service. You need to take into account that this extension does not register your password at any time, simply, as we say, it detects the operation of potentially malicious pages to warn you if you have entered your password on that website. In this way, if you fall prey to any of these scams, you will know immediately that your password may have been exposed, and you can change it directly from the links that the extension shows you.