Hotmail is adding new security features, that will be rolled out gradually throughout October. The key changes that are being made are extra proofs, to safeguard against hackers, and more prompts for users about the safety of what they’re doing in their Hotmail accounts.
Proofs are the big addition to Hotmail. These are extra bits of information which you add to your Hotmail account – a mobile number or the location of a trusted PC – so that Hotmail can verify who you are if it’s suspected you’ve been hacked.
Even better than that, the Hotmail proofs stop hackers from locking you out of your account, as they mean that to change account login details you’ll have to verify your identity using one of these proofs, with an SMS code, or logging on from your trusted PC.
The downside is that it means giving out more information, although if you are hacked, it’s likely that you’ll be letting go of lots more information than a phone number or your location. “We’re closing the loops,” said Fiona Fyfe, Hotmail product manager. “We’re being quite thorough to make sure people can’t mess around with your account.”
What do you think about the new Hotmail security measures? Will you be adding proofs?
