Many people use the same password at difference sites – including for their email. So if your account info was among those hacked in the many online data thefts over the last few years, those passwords may be floating around.
[You can check https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to see if your email address is “out there”]
So of what possible value could your hacked email account be to the “bad guys”? Here are some ideas, from Krebs on Security:
Things a hacked email account can be used for Want more details?
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/06/the-value-of-a-hacked-email-account/
There is an online security researcher named Krebs that published 3 basic rules for online safety. These still make a lot of sense:
If you didn’t go looking for it, don’t install it! If you installed it, UPDATE it! If you no longer need it, REMOVE it! The original article is at https://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/05/krebss-3-basic-rules-for-online-safety/
There is potentially a lot of useful / sellable info on that old PC that you haven’t used in a while.
What your old hacked PC can be used for by the “bad guys” This is from https://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/10/the-scrap-value-of-a-hacked-pc-revisited/
There’s a lot of bad actors online, but there are indeed things you can do to be safer. Watch the tech site for more articles, coming soon.
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