We've slashed account hijackings by 99.7% – Google

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/21/google_account_hijack_clampdown/ / 120-variable security checks + 2-factor auth = zapped interwebs pond scum Google appears to be making strides in the war against account hijacking ads search webmail giant recently announced that it had reduced takeovers by 99.7 per cent since introducing tighter security procedures improved spam filtering spammers switched to more aggressive account takeover tactics 419ers hijack email accounts before sending fraudulent messages to potential marks usually friends contacts account hijacking victim auto-generated newbie accounts no longer works because messages from these accounts were routinely blocked email account hijacks often follow either phishing campaigns database leaks insecure websites because many people make the mistake of re-using the same password across different accounts stolen passwords from one site are often valid across many others This is what made password database breaches Sony PlayStation Network, Gawker, LinkedIn eHarmony Last.fm leaked passwords purchased in bulk from underground cybercrime forums the pond scum Internet then launch various attempts to break into accounts across the web and across many different services /