How to protect your email id's / social networking accounts from getting hacked

Recently I have noticed that email account/social networking account hacking has increased a lot. The hacker usually hacks your email password and sends spam emails to all your contacts using your email id and then deletes sent items and leaves your email id password unchanged , so you wont figure it out that your email id has been hacked. Facebook accounts are compromised when you click on supecious links which appears to have been posted by one of your friends.

Below are few steps to follow to prevent your account from getting hacked

1> Avoid checking emails in Cyber cafes or Public places with Open wifi's, as this places are easily targeted by hackers by either placing keyloggers in target machines or through sniffing passwords from open wifi areas

2>Change your email id,social networking account passwords atleast every 3 months and avoid using same passwords for all accounts

3>To build a strong Password Make sure your password comprises of alphabets(from a to z and A to Z),Numbers and special characters and contains minimum 8 characters or more.

4> Always keep your firewall Enabled (In MacOsX the firewall is disabled by default) and Keep your Antivirus Updated(I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials)

5>Install WOT(Web Of Trust) addon. This is a very usefull Tool for warning users when they visit websites that are known for suspecious activity (Virus,Malwares,Hacking,Phishing etc). This addon is available for Almost all the known Browsers(Internet Explorer,FireFox,Chrome,Opera,Safari etc)

6>Avoid clicking on suspecious links in emails or Facebook accounts even if it was sent by your friends. 99% of the time when you visit this suspecious links you will be warned by the WOT addon(If you have installed WOT), But even WOT might miss new threats

7>When browsing in Cyber cafes or Public Computers or when logging into your online bank account,Paypal account etc, Always browse in Private browser or incognito mode. This is a feature in browsers where all your browsing activity is kept in temporary cache and Pages you view in this window won't appear in your browser history or search history, and they won't leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close the private browsing or incognito window.

8>Most of the email accounts have options for linking your cell phone number so that incase you forget your password , your password will be texted directly to you but they can also be used for warning you from unauthorised account access, you will receive text message when your account information has been changed or accessed from unknown location, Facebook provides this facility . when your facebook account is accessed from unknow device you will immediately receive a text message and you can take necessary action from getting your account compromised.
Follow link below for Gmail account safety Tips

Gmail account Safety Tips

9>At home if you have a wireless router, change its defaults password to strong password and activate MAC filters , so only device with MAC ID that has been registered with that router can access your network
Visit link below for instructions on how to setup MAC Filter for your router


SetUp MAC Filter

The above steps might not be completely HackProof but it can help you identify when your account has been hacked and take necessary actions