Prevent Your live.com Sign In Details from Being Stolen By Hackers
Live.com is Microsoft’s all in one authentication service where you can register and then use the same credentials for many different things. For example, if you own an Xbox, or have a Windows Live Messenger account, or if you use Hotmail, then you’ll already have a Windows live.com sign in.
Many people like having one single username and password to access services they use regularly. It saves the need to remember multiple passwords, and in this day and age when there seems to be so many different websites needing usernames and passwords to access them, having less to remember is a godsend. A single sign in point also means that once you’ve used your live.com sign in to access one service, you’ll also be able to access all the other services too. Your computer should remember your credentials in its memory, or cache, and not bother you again.
However there is one drawback to single sign up accounts. If you lose your password, then not only can you get to your email in Hotmail, but you could also lose access to your other services too. Many people rely on a live messenger service such as MSN Messenger, and to be unable to access this for any period of time can be a real headache. Some accounts, such as an Xbox Live account can also be extremely valuable. With Xbox Live you can buy credits that can be used to buy games or add-ons to the service, such as extra games maps and upgrades. Typically these credits can be fairly expensive, so your Xbox Live account could be a prime target for hackers.
A hacker is someone who may try to steal your live.com sign in details in order to access the services for themselves, and steal whatever information or details you may have stored. It’s strongly advised that you don’t store sensitive information in your live.com account such as bank details and passwords, but some people do regardless, and should those details become compromised they could stand to lose a great deal. This is why you should protect your live.com sign in details as much as possible and never give out your password to anyone, even if you think you can trust them.
There’s no real knowledge on the real reasons why people hack accounts. They sometimes want to steal resources such as credits from Xbox Live accounts, or they may just be curious or get a kick out of breaking into somewhere they shouldn’t be. Some hackers go after sensitive information, and some simply wish to deface websites or cause trouble by pretending to be someone they aren’t on Live Messenger. Sometimes your email account may be used to send spam. Whatever the reason, someone attacking your live.com sign in details is a bad thing, and you should do everything you can to avoid having your account hacked.
But what do you do if you realize you’ve been hacked and your live.com sign in details has been stolen?
Firstly you should install an antivirus program on your computer. Many hackers can discover your password through software known as malware. This is software that may have been installed on your computer, usually without your knowledge. The job of malware is either to slow down your computer or be a nuisance, or steal your live.com sign in details and send them to a hacker. Or both. You may have downloaded it inadvertently while installing something else such as a screen saver. By downloading and running antivirus software you can remove anything that shouldn’t be on your computer and prevent further attacks.
Secondly, you should change you password if you still have access to your live.com sign in details. Some hackers will go in, create havoc and then leave without altering your password, so if you can get in, all the better. Change the password to something completely different, and don’t forget to change your security questions as well. If you can’t get in, then the hacker may have changed your live.com sign in details. If this is the case you will need to follow the instructions to reset your password. You can do this from most websites that you would normally use to log into your live.com account. If you can’t reset your password, then you’ll have to contact the Windows Live Solution Center to have your password recovered. In order to recover your live.com sign in details, you’ll have to answer a series of questions to make sure you’re the legitimate user.
Finally, you’re going to want to prevent your live.com sign in details from becoming a target for hackers in the future. You can do this by making sure your password is strong. Passwords should be at least twelve characters long and include both numbers and letters, and not use words that are in the dictionary. You should also make sure your system is up to date with all the latest security patches. By doing this, you run a better chance of not having your live.com sign in details stolen in the future.