Choosing Password

• Your password acts as the protection between you and hackers who want to hijack your email for their own purposes. Too often, passwords are far too easy to guess based on your name, interests, location and other variables. Some common and easy-to-guess passwords include "12345," "password" and even "qwerty." Simple passwords means it's easy for hackers to guess and gain access to your Hotmail account. Instead, choose a password that is a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that cannot be directly traced to your name or location. Then, make a habit of changing your password each month to avoid hacking.
  
  

Protecting Email

• When you post your email address irresponsibly around the Internet, hackers find your address and then can set to work trying to guess your email and hack into your account. By creating a junk mail account with Hotmail, you can keep you personal Hotmail address private. That way, when posting your email address in public forums or on website registrations, you can use your junk mail account that doesn't harbor private information that could be hacked.
  
  

Disguising Email

• If you absolutely must post your email on public forums, disguise your email so it isn't easily recognized by hackers or spambots. Simply typing your email out as sample@hotmail.com makes you a target for easily accessible hacking, but typing out each word, such as "sample at hotmail dot com," ensures that the email address isn't recognized by the tools that hackers use to scan the web for vulnerable email accounts. When your email is kept private, it's less likely to be targeted.
  
  

Resetting Password

• Even when you take precautions, your account could still be hacked. When a hacker gains access to your Hotmail, one of the first things he will do is change your password to deny access. You can reset your password by using the "forgot your password?" link on the sign-in page. Then, choose a password that is more difficult to guess. If your account has been accessed or failed access attempts have occurred on your account, Hotmail may ask for your cellphone number. Hotmail will then text you an access code which you can use to sign in for further protection.