Red Green Repeat Adventures of a Spec Driven Junkie

Email Address Security

I lost access to one of main email addresses because of a configuration change on the provider side.

It’s an email that I use for a solid 10 years. The email address is on business cards, résumés, online, registered for almost everything, such as accounts with the government.

The account is not a cloud based account - it’s one provided by an alma matter.

One reason I chose to use that account over a cloud based account is that I felt having a “human” on the other side to resolve any problems, like losing access.

I didn’t trust myself or a cloud provider enough to resolve the problem of lost access.

  • With a cloud provider, you’re one of a billion users with daily attacks on accounts.
  • With a school, you’re one of a thousand or hundred thousand. If you know the department running the program, you’re one of a hundred.

Which will you get a better chance of resolving your problem?

These are great when they hold true, the problem is when I realize that the department changed in the last 10 years and I haven’t been in touch with anyone at my old school for… 8 years?!

I realize my initial assumptions are false and an onset of overwhelming sense of 😱.

This is making me re-think how I handle my life, especially email address and phone numbers.

Follow up: