Password Hygiene

Have you ever had your email account hacked or been spammed by someone who has?
If so you might be interested in a post published by The How-To-Geek. The post, titled
How To Recover After Your Email Password Is Compromised, is a good read for anyone who has had their email account hacked. Here are a few tips from the geek:

• Change your password to something completely different than your previous password. Make it a combination of alphanumeric characters and if need be temporarily write it down. The important thing is that you secure your email immediately with a strong password.
• Go through the settings on your email account to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.
• Get a password manager. Not using a password manager is like refusing to use a calculator and solving all math problems long hand.
• Search your email for registration reminders. There are likely dozens of outlaying services that you may not even remember that you use your email to log into.
• Use strong passwords. Do not use dictionary words as part of your password. Use passphrases instead of passwords. Always use a unique password for each service.
  

I recommend that you read the Geek's post entirely. And if you are on Facebook you can follow his writings by simply liking his page. I know that I regularly get spammed messages from friends who are very surprised when I send a reply back to them saying that their account was hacked. Do you have any stories about being hacked?