Gmail Allowing Remote Log-off and Last account activity details
Thursday, 10 July 2008
One of the benefits of Web-based e-mail is the ability to log on from just about anywhere - at home, at work, a friend's house, a mobile device or even a public library or cybercafe.
But what if you forget to log off? Someone else who encounters an active session not only can read your personal correspondences, but they also can use that account to grab your passwords from many online services that offer to send reminders via e-mail.
Google Inc.'s Gmail service is trying to address that by letting you know if you're still logged on elsewhere and giving you a chance to disconnect remotely.
At the bottom of a Gmail inbox is a small notice of other active sessions. The new feature, being rolled out to users in waves, also offers some information on the time and location of recent Gmail activities.
The notification is bound to be useful, though it's by no means foolproof. You have to be logged on somewhere to learn of other active sessions, and you have to look carefully for that notice. And if you have chosen to save your password on the other computer, someone else can simply log back on unless you change it.
But the feature does offer an extra level of comfort.
"Usually I remember to sign out, but every once in a while I wonder if I really did," Gmail engineer Erwin D'Souza wrote on a company blog. "Now I no longer have to wonder."
Other major Web e-mail providers - Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp.'s Hotmail, Time Warner Inc.'s AOL - also allow simultaneous sessions, but they do not provide similar notice or ability to remotely log off. However, AOL does have a setting forcing automatic logoff after as little as 30 minutes of inactivity. Microsoft said Hotmail will ask for a password if the session remains idle for too long.
Clicking the Details link next to the Last account activity line at the bottom of your Google Mail account pages shows information about recent activity on your account.
Recent activity includes any time that your Google Mail account was accessed using a regular web browser, through a POP client, from a mobile device, etc. We'll list the IP address from which the account was accessed, as well as the time and date.
How to use this data
If you're concerned about unauthorised access to your Google Mail account, you'll be able to use this data to find out if and when unauthorised agents accessed your mail. Does the Access Type column show any unusual access? If you don't use POP to collect your mail, but your Recent activity table is showing some POP access, it may be a sign that your account has been compromised.
The IP address column is also useful. If you always or most often sign in to your account using a single computer, your IP address should be the same, or start with the same two sets of numbers (i.e. 192.168.xx.xx). If you're seeing an IP address that differs greatly from your usual IP address, it could either mean that you've recently accessed your account from a different location, or that someone has accessed your account. Your current IP address is displayed below the Recent activity table.
Concurrent sessions
If your Google Mail account is currently being accessed from another location, we'll list the other session(s) in the Concurrent session information table. This could mean that you simply have another browser window open with your Google Mail account loaded, or that your home computer is logged in to your account while you're accessing your mail from work. If you're concerned about any concurrent access, you can sign out all sessions other than your current session by clicking Sign out all other sessions .
If you think your account has been compromised
You'll need to change your password and your security question. The first step is to read our suggestions on choosing a good password to make sure that your new password is secure. Then, follow the instructions in How do I change my password? to update your password.
Second, read about choosing a good security question and answer before updating your settings. We also suggest reading some tips on keeping your account safe .
Finally, because you still have access to your account, please note that the Google Mail Team is unable to provide additional assistance.
Posted by Gaurav Shukla 20:41
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