Windows 10: Someone Has Hacked My Hotmail Email Address...

Are we all sure Microsoft software does not allow government agencies to access data via backdoors with or without Microsoft's agreement?

 

And most other competent government agencies including you know who in the USA

 

You said competent government agencies in the USA..... that made me laugh! So does "military intelligence"!

 

Do you have the inside knowledge to be sure?

 

As a Navy Lieutenant Commander, it would surprise me if he didn't.

 

What an irresponsible, utterly stupid comment!

 

I'm going to do this now!

Thanks!

 

I'm looking into "2 step verification" now.

 

I've now changed my password.

Is it possible for me to see a longer history of "Recent Activity"? as it only goes back 3 weeks...

 

Is "2 Step Verification" the best thing I can do in terms of security?

EDIT:

What happened to those "Secret Questions and Answers" that Hotmail used to have? Does anyone have a Microsoft link for what happened?

I remember that someone I knew actually knew the answer to my "Secret Question" so could that person still have access to my Hotmail account?

 

Security is a personal preference.

Make sure to use long and complex passwords, at least 20 characters long. Also use a different password for every account/website and change them monthly.
Sometimes websites databases get breached and the usernames/emails with password are in the wrong hands. If you use the same username and password for every website you are totally screwed then.

Don't trust any device that is not yours. Do not log into computers at an Internet Cafe. I would never enter my credentials at an Internet Cafe. Perhaps they have a keylogger installed.

Also use 2FA when available.

About security questions , do not make the answer an actual answer (e.g: My cat is named Mittens) but use a complex password there instead.

Probably a very important one; do not let web browser remember your passwords. It is a piece of cake to extract all the saved passwords/usernames from Chrome with a simple tool.

 

This is what I'm worried about: Where the hacker is able to login into my Hotmail account without me knowing he has accessed it.


"Review your account information

If someone else got into your account, you want to make sure they didn't use your data or change your settings. Sometimes attackers make back doors into your account so they can still see your information after you reset your password. Use the following steps to review your important settings."
Link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...omised-account

 

Everything Asuza said is good, except you do not need to change your password monthly, as this is counter productive:
1) If you use a strong password and change it monthly, when are you going to be able to remember it?
2) Changing a password too often generally makes the user pick an "easy to remember", spoken: easy to crack.

Changing Passwords - Schneier on Security

 

I have all my password on a yellow sticky note stuck to my computer monitor both at home and at work.

I'm just kidding - it's really stuck to the underside of my keyboard.

Just kidding again.

 

I have a little green book, not kiddin*Tongue
It has all my passwords & OS & software keys
It also contains my system "Offline" command prompt commands and how to set Ubuntu to rum Trim at boot, My disk partition, and the partitions & disks where I have moved OneDrive, and my libraries.
If I ever lost that green book....