At a library, an internet cafe or a new job, you are using someone else's computer. Two habits protect you: log out properly, and never let it remember your password.
Your time is up and someone is waiting. What do you do?
What happens: Closing a window does not sign you out. The next person opens the browser and is inside your email, with the power to reset your other passwords from there.
What happens: Both steps, in that order. Ten seconds, and nobody can reach your account after you leave.
When a browser asks "Save password?" on a shared computer, always choose Never. Saying yes leaves your password on a machine used by strangers.
If the computer offers a private or incognito window, use it. It does not save your history or your sign-ins, which is exactly what you want on a machine you do not own.
I think I stayed signed in on a public computer
From your phone, open your email settings and look for the option to sign out of all other devices, then change your password. Both take a few minutes and both are worth doing tonight rather than tomorrow.
I think I broke something on a work computer
Say so immediately, to the person responsible for the computers. Almost nothing is unfixable, but a problem hidden for a week can become one. Nobody has ever been fired for reporting a problem early. People have been for hiding one.
Before you move on
- Sign out of email before logging out
- Always answer Never to Save password on a shared computer
- Use a private or incognito window when you can
Check what you know
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