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If a hacker gets into my PC can he steal my emails passwords? I use the windows live mail client to manage my email and I have saved my passwords when it asks me to save them. I run like 9 mail accounts and don't want to enter the passwords each time I open my PC.

Jenny
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Yes, but if a hacker gets into your PC, he or she can also install a keylogger that records everything you enter, so even if you did enter your passwords every time rather than saving them, you still wouldn't be safe.

The best advice is to practice safe computing and don't allow yourself to be infiltrated in the first place.

The next best advice is that if you're already past this point, or at any point determine that your system has indeed been compromised, Nuke It From Orbit, re-install and rebuild your system from the ground up. This is the only way you can reasonably guardsmen it will be clean again.

Xander
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  • I have hackers looking to get into my system quite often. How do I stop them from getting into my windows PC? – Jenny May 09 '13 at 04:55
  • Jenny, the short answer is you can't. The better answer is try and protect yourself as best you can. Stay up to date on security patches. Don't visit malicous sites. don't open email form ppl u don't know. Make sure you have up to date antivirus that is good. Make constant back ups of data you can't live with out. Encrypt data on your computer that is too damaging to lose.(PII, tax docs, pay stubs). The one thing I do is make a backup of my entire machine 3 or 4 times a year. If I get compromised I do a little forensic analysis and then rebuild. Hope that helps. – Jason H May 09 '13 at 11:58
  • @Jenny, Jason's advice is good, and there's a bit more in this answer: http://security.stackexchange.com/a/14313/12 Specifically you might want to follow the link titled "Quick Steps to Windows 7 OS hardening" assuming you're running Windows 7. – Xander May 09 '13 at 13:23
  • @Jenny - How exactly do you know your under attack? – Ramhound May 10 '13 at 03:11