It is a service founded by IT entrepreneurs Jack Smith and Sabeer Bhatia in the year 1996. This was the first web mail to be launched, around the same time when the Yahoo mail service was launched. It symbolized freedom from the shackles of paid internet subscription services which was the only way people could use email prior to the launch of web based free email services.

It was initially an easy web email service to use that allowed anyone to sign up and create an account for free. The steps for registration and use of the services included the following:

• One had to key in basic inputs like the choice of username, password and other details that were optional.
• There were hardly any restrictions on the choice of username and password for an account.
• In case one forgot the password of their account, there were simple ways to recover the same.

Though the creation of account was an easy process, this also led to certain security issues. For instance, many people found their accounts being hacked into. Many found their password to have been changed by unknown sources. For such reasons, many found it not to be a safe email service to use.

Soon after it was launched, it became a service that was acquired by Microsoft. The email domain maintained its separate existence, but also was integrated with MSN. As a result, the users of MSN services found accounts easy to access through the MSN portal as well. As hacking and security concerns continued, there were certain changes made in the password requirements of accounts such as:

• One had to ensure that they chose a password that was unique and at least eight characters in length.
• The password had to be a combination of alphanumeric characters as well as case differences along with special characters.

Besides the above requirements for a strong password to be associated with one’s account, the two step verification process was also launched. This is a prime feature of new accounts that requires some additional information:

• One needs to register an alternate email address where account recovery information can be sent.
• On keying in a registered phone number, one can avail of the authentication feature that surpasses the need to key in a password every time.

The above points help one to activate the two step verification feature on their account. It also helps to fortify the account recovery process.

In case one needs to recover their account password they can do the following:

• Choose the “forgot password” link.
• This will redirect them to a page where they are asked to key in the alternate email address that they have registered with the account.
• The user needs to provide their username details once again to get the password reset link to their alternate email address.
• At the alternate email address an email is sent with a link to reset the account password.
• By clicking on the link one is redirected to domain; here one can reset their password by creating a new password for their account.
• This leads to activation of the account and access is granted once again.

The above steps help one to recover their account password. Usually one can choose to stay logged into their account and do the same on different devices. In case one chooses to log in from a new device or location, the password is sought for security measures. When one opts for the two step verification process and has a registered phone number, they can surpass the password and get authentication done by getting a security code sent to their mobile app which verifies a login session every time.