Main content
Internet safety
Course: Internet safety > Unit 1
Lesson 2: Ask Google: How do I keep my account safe?- How to keep your online accounts secure
- Why creating a strong password really matters
- Yes, you need a password manager. Here’s why.
- How adding your phone number and 2-factor authentication helps protect your account
- How can I review the security of my account?
© 2023 Khan AcademyTerms of usePrivacy PolicyCookie Notice
How to keep your online accounts secure
Sal Khan and Guemmy Kim discuss the importance of account security, emphasizing that online accounts hold personal information. They explain that if someone gains unauthorized access to an account, they can steal personal data, money, and even access other connected accounts. Thus, account security is crucial to protect one's privacy and assets. Created by Sal Khan.
Want to join the conversation?
Should I share my password with my mom and dad?(10 votes)
It depends on how old you are. If you are under the age of 18 I would recommend that you do share your password with them in case you forget it. If your older than that and more mature then you should be fine to keep your password to yourself.(12 votes)
How do I log the person out when he/she gets into my account(6 votes)
If you think your account has been compromised, you can try to look for an option to sign out of your account on all devices. This is usually found somewhere in your account settings, but not all websites have this.
You should also always contact the website's support team so they can investigate the incident and help you secure your account.(3 votes)
- what the most common way someone is able to get in you account and how do you protect against it(4 votes)
The most common way someone can gain access to your account is through passwords. They may obtain your password through a phishing attack, where they trick you into entering your password into a fake website, or they may have obtained your password through a data breach, where a company's database of user information is compromised. To protect against this, it is important to use strong and unique passwords, update them regularly, and to be cautious when receiving emails or messages that ask for your password or personal information. You can also use a password manager to generate and store strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts, and enable two-factor authentication whenever possible.(9 votes)
Should I share my password with my mom and dad?(5 votes)
Is there a spefic way I should make all my passwords?(1 vote)- Something effective. I usually don't care at all whether I can remember them or not, because I have a really good memory, but you can write it down. Usually, the best passwords are these:
- Have at least 8 characters
-Have both UPPERCASE and lowercase letters
-Have numbers from 0-9
-Symbols like ~!@#$%^&*()_+{}|:"<>?[]\;',./
-NEVER SHARE IT
I hope that helps and have a great day! :D(9 votes)
- What can i do to protect my personal data online without paying services?(2 votes)
The truth is as long as you're online, your personal data is always available to companies such as Microsoft and Google, as well as banking companies. As long as you retain a strong password and don't fall for sketchy traps, you should be fine.(4 votes)
why is khan so pretty?(2 votes)
Because it is(1 vote)
- How can someone get into your bank without having access to your bank number?(1 vote)
- There are a number of possible ways that this could happen. Here are a few possibilities:
- If a hacker gains access to your email, they could use that to reset your bank password and login to your bank account
- They could use phishing to obtain the bank information from you directly, by tricking you into providing it to them
- They could steal your bank information from a third-party source that you've shared your bank info with(5 votes)
So if i use a floppy account so that if someone gets into my account i won't lose any of my real personal information?(2 votes)
Certainly! Using a temporary or disposable account can limit exposure of your real personal information. It provides a layer of anonymity and reduces the impact if the account is compromised. Ensure strong, unique passwords and consider services carefully. However, always remain vigilant about online security regardless of the account type used.(2 votes)
is hostpot sheild vpn good or bad(2 votes)- Good! That protects your device from things like viruses.(1 vote)
Video transcript
- Hi everyone, Sal Khan here, and I'm here with Guemmy
Kim, who's a director of product management at
Google in account security. And my question for you, Guemmy is everyone's always talking
about account security. Why should I or the folks watching care? - Yes. So it sounds like a technical term, but it's actually something
that affects us every day. Think of all of the online
accounts that you use, whether that's your bank or
Google or any other service. Well, any of those
accounts actually hold all of your personal information, and like a house, you
want it to protect that personal information that you care about. There's always gonna be things like bugs, and rats, and thieves that try to come in. And so you wanna make
sure that they don't. - And what's gonna happen,
like, if somehow someone gets into my account, what's
the worst that they can do? - Well, I mean, just taking
a Google account for example, like, not only can they take
your personal information like your photos, or information
you're sending in Gmail, you know, they could also get access to all of your other online accounts. As you know, you know, your Gmail account is
actually a key to getting into your bank, your social
media accounts, your eCommerce, because once you compromise,
for example, the Gmail account then I can get into all of
those other accounts as well. - Yeah, people can steal money from you, they can misrepresent you, they can see all your private information, - Right. Exactly. It can get to be pretty scary. So I think this is something
people should pay attention to. - Mhm.