what are the chances of someone hacking into your online accounts?

[confusedaboutlife]

like facebook, twitter, youtube, ???

[Dhruv Mongia]

you are automatically logged out when the person tries to login in to your account. Some of your account details, photos videos, etc. may have been deleted. The next time you try to login in you will not be able to access your account because once logged in he can change your current password to a new password.

[ilgaar]

It all depends on your surfing and Internet usage behavior and habits. But there is always an element of risk involved. For example you might have a habit of downloading and running every kind of application that you can get from net without even considering the risk, or checking out it's legitimacy. The program might be a key logger and might steal your password.

In general there are two ways to hack into your account:

1. Key logging: a program to monitor your activity and spy on your user-names, emails and passwords and other personal data like credit card numbers etc.

2. Phishing : which is usually an email or a website that pretends to be Google Yahoo or even your bank's website, victims without thinking and noticing the difference fill in the form and give away their information.

Other than these two methods, which can be easily prevented by developing some secure and simple habits there are no other ways, unless you write down your password on a file or a piece of paper and someone finds it, or your password is too simple and someone close to you could guess it etc.

to prevent from being hacked:

1. Do not download anything from Internet, first make sure it's a safe program, and always scan the applications you get from Internet.
2. Do not provide any web-site or email your password or personal data, that claims to be Google, Yahoo or even your bank account, unless you are absolutely sure; a good way to tell weather or not a website is legitimate is to look at its URL on the address bar of your web browser.

[Joel M]

ilgaar, you forgot RATs.