Not long ago it was reported that Chinese hackers made a cyber attack on some Gmail accounts in China. These attacks not only caused a crisis between Google and the Chinese authorities, but it also raised a question dealing with how can one protect his account from external login attempts.

Often we do a Gmail login without understanding the possible threats on our account.

The following is a list of 5 tips that will make your Gmail experience much safer:

1. Use a firewall software – Windows has a built it firewall but it is recommended that you use a more robust firewall like the one from Zone Alarm which is free. This will block connection attempts from the outside world to your computer, a method that hacker use to break to computers.

2. Use an antivirus software – an antivirus software will scan your computer for malicious software and will remove it. Once a hacker has penetrated your computer or network, he can easily install a trojan software that will give him full access to your computer.

3. Always use HTTPS – there is an option in the Gmail settings to always work with HTTPS. There ensures that your data is encrypted and safe from the Gmail server to your browser, and can not be monitored.

4. Use a strong password – it is inconvenient to type those long and scrumbled passwords but they are one of the most important steps on your way to protect your PC.

5. Guard your password – avoid typing your password on other computers that are not yours. Using a simple key logger it is possible to track key strokes and co