Is my Gmail account secure with two-factor authentication and proxy settings?

[physics kiddy]

Today, I found something very unusual with my Gmail account. As soon as I opened my account, I found a message above the inbox saying : Your account has been opened from IP address 87.207.169.224 dynamic.chello.pl, Poland and I am an Indian not a Polish. Gmail suggested me to change my Gmail password as soon as possible. I did the same. But I am still afraid because I believe that my account has been hacked. Now, the terms in the IP address seem technical and I don't understand them. Please help me.

 

[Routaran]

well, two things. First make sure that the email you got was not a phishing email. Sometimes you can get fake alerts and these emails can include a link that takes you away from gmail to another site that looks like gmail. The idea to trick you into thinking its gmail and you type in your current username/password to change it and then they steal your information.
if there was a link in the email saying "click here to change your password" or something to that effect, look at the actual address, make sure the address belongs to google.
eg: mail.google.com is valid. mail-google.com is NOT
if you did get one of these phishing emails and you clicked on the link to change your password, then its time to change it again. make sure you use the links within your account and NOT links from inside an email (click on your name>account settings> etc).

if the email is legit, then changing your password is usually good enough. there is an off-chance that your computer may be infected with spyware programs. i'd suggest installing an antispyware program like Spybot Search & Destroy to scan your system.

 

[physics kiddy]

Well, I know what phishing is and I am always cautious of phishing pages because I have tried one on my friend. I am sure it's something else because the link wasn't in inbox. It was above inbox and there was no any link or message like "Click here to change your password". The only message was -"Your account has been opened from so an so IP address". Any idea ?

 

[Routaran]

Well then I would change the Gmail account password and do a virus/spyware scan on all the computers you use to access your email. Sounds like the email was legit.

 

[physics kiddy]

Yes, it was

 

[Routaran]

Yeah. Just change your password from your Gmail account settings and scan the computers you check your Gmail account from. That's really all you can do if someone actually got your password.

 

[DaveC426913]

Gmail suggested me to change my Gmail password as soon as possible. I did the same.

Did this email provide you with a link where you could change your password? Or did you have to go to Gmail on your own to do it?

If the former case, it is entirely possible you just handed them your password. You should never follow a link within an email that leads you to a site where you are going to enter private information. Emails (especially phishing emails) often provide a fake link that looks legit, but actually skims your private information.

Conscientious companies, such as banks will NEVER provide a link to get to their site for this reason. You are expected to make your own way to their site. That way, you can be sure you got to the right site.

 

[-Job-]

GMail has support for two-factor authentication, if you have a phone. You'll receive a one-time key as a message on your phone each time you login, which you then use as a second password.

This is substantially more secure and worth the trouble IMO.
http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/static.py?page=guide.cs&guide=1056283&topic=1056284

 

[-Job-]

If you've accessed GMail through a proxy (perhaps without knowing) that could explain the IP - proxies forward traffic on your behalf, so sites see the proxy's IP (which could be anywhere) rather than your own.

Proxies are sometimes used to circumvent restrictions, such as blocked sites - e.g. a computer lab you use blocks YouTube, but you (or someone else before you) configures the browser to use a proxy instead to access the site. This is still a really bad idea since the owner of the proxy will be able to inspect your traffic, steal active sessions, etc.

 

[physics kiddy]

I am a bit new to these technical terms. So, please explain how do I know if I am using a proxy and what two-way authentication is.

 

[-Job-]

I am a bit new to these technical terms. So, please explain how do I know if I am using a proxy and what two-way authentication is.

For two-factor authentication see the link i included and watch the short video, it explains the concept well.

You can configure your browser to use a proxy, for example in the FireFox options menu, under Advanced -> Network -> Settings. In Chrome under Preferences -> Under the hood -> Change proxy settings. In Internet Explorer it's under Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings.