Yahoo Messenger Travel Security Risk

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Yahoo Messenger Travel Security Risk
I should also say Gmail.com security risk, Skype.com security risk, or any internet systems that automatically log onto the internet.

My friend Chris accidentally left his computer on a Tuk Tuk; this is a three wheel Motorcycle Taxi. Later he wrote me an email saying he had a new email and I should use it, I thought this was strange. I write him often and knew he had a Gmail.com account.

What happened? How does losing your computer affect your free gmail.com account? Did you forget your password?

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Panajachel, Guatemala
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Travel Journal --- Hostels and Hotels --- Travel Bag Survey
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The taxi driver connected the computer to the internet, it automatically connected to the internet and logged into Gmail.com. The person then changed the email and stole his account…. I have no idea why, yet must have thought this was a good idea.

I thought about this for a week, and then I became scared…. it would be a great idea on my Yahoo Email Account!

I do not store usernames and passwords on my computer, I am 100 percent sure that one day somebody will steal my computer. I have never thought about somebody stealing my Yahoo Email.

Do NOT check the boxes when you travel.

I do the same as Chris with Yahoo Messenger, it automatically logs in when it detects an internet connection. I have had my personal email for about 7 years; I would be lost without this account. It would be like somebody stealing my business telephone number when I lived in the USA. This email address is my primary business address on planet earth.

Even worst, there are passwords stored on the internet, copies of my passport and drivers license, all sorts of sensitive identification information that I need. I must have at least 50-100 passwords; I keep them in a folder in my yahoo mail account.

I gave the username and password to my Parents and Sister; in the event of my death, they could find all the usernames and passwords to run this online internet business.

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Reader Submitted Comments | Deleted Comments (0)

goingeverywhereslow said on Tuesday December 23rd, 2008 05:18:00 PM

Andy,Use 7-zip. Free strong AES-256 encryption.I'd recommend it for any sensitive data you may store ANYWHERE, email, hard drive, backup drives or otherwise.Chris must not have used a desktop login password. Or was his laptop on?I have mine lock after X minutes of inactivity.7-Zip AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)Eric

Colm O'Connor said on Tuesday December 23rd, 2008 06:04:00 PM

There are a number of things other than not checking the password box you can do to protect against this.* Use firefox with the 'master password' checkbox ticked. this means that your password is saved, but encrypted and other users will need the master password to get in. If they happen to get to your computer while it's on, they might be able to access your gmail account but not change its password.* Use an encrypted disk with software like TrueCrypt, if you're really paranoid. If your computer is off, no data on the drive should be recoverable without the password.Additionally, if you want somewhere handy to keep your web passwords, foxmarks does a very nice service where they sync your bookmarks and passwords (encrypted of course) so that if you lose your laptop you can recover them later.