Google email account hacked?

I'd also like to know what is the safest: staying logged in or logging out each time.
I only ever access it from my personal laptop with broadband. No-one else has access to my laptop in my house (not even my husband). No-one else uses the internet either except me.

On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 11:41 PM, snowflake.nz
<email address hidden> wrote:
> New question #96106 on Ubuntu:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/96106
>
> Some one made some unauthorised transactions on my Paypal account (taking a few hundred $'s).
> My login details for Paypal was my email address with the same password (since I've learned this is a BIG mistake to make, and I've reverted to keeping a spreadsheet with emails for sites being updated when I change them).
>
> I would like to know if my Google account would be compromised. I've asked friends, but none of them received any spam emails from me (a good thing?).
>
> My passwords were changed immediately.
> I use Evolution to download my emails and back-up as I don't need too many emails on Gmail.
> I alternate between FF 3.5 and Google Chrome as browsers. Google Chrome loads content faster than FF.
>
> I prefer accessing gmail in a browser as I use Picasa, Documents, Calendar, Reader etc.
>
> I've been thinking that somewhere along the line someone keylogged me? If so, how can I prevent that.
> I'm using Ubuntu 9.10
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> TIA
>
> --
> You received this question notification because you are an answer
> contact for Ubuntu.
>

Really sorry to hear what happened, are you sure that someone
unauthorised took money from your account (could have been someone
from the family). For security purposes, in firefox use WOT and using
evolution is a good idea, if you don't get too much email. When you
are upgrading to 9.10 I recommend backing up all your information and
then doing a fresh install. PLEASE PLEASE USE SEPRATE PASSWORDS FOR
DIFFERENT SITES. Other than that, you can't be keylogged unless you
visit some sites that have it, WOT will tell you what sites you
shouldn't go to :). Are there any specifics that you are looking for.

--
Regards,
Vikram Dhillon

~~~
There are lots of Linux users who don't care how the kernel works, but
only want to use it. That is a tribute to how good Linux is.
-- Linus Torvalds

Are you using a wireless router with WPA2 ?

If you log into Gmail and scroll down to the bottom, you can click a link that shows your login history for the last couple of days. That should tell you if they managed to log into your Gmail account.

Staying logged out is the safest, but it's highly unlikely someone compromise your account from a different computer. It would be far easier for them to brute force the password.

The only real risk of staying logged in is someone else using your laptop or stealing it.

Thank you to everyone who has answered my questions.
I feel totally at ease now.

The end result was that I was hacked, keylogged or family fooling around on my computer. It was just this one account that was comprimised.
We got our money back and I have since closed the PayPal account. It turned out I was just unlucky.

But I've learned a few new things through this.
Once again thank you to all.

Cheers
;-)