# Switch to Protonmail Reason #45: Keep a recovery address harder for attackers to guess

An obvious recovery address gives attackers a predictable target for reset attempts and phishing.

2026-09-11
::
Switchboard Tech Services


![Switch to Protonmail Reason #45: Keep a recovery address harder for attackers to guess](https://switchboardtechservices.com/static/images/defaults/guides.webp)

## Why this matters

An obvious recovery address gives attackers a predictable target for reset attempts and phishing. Privacy is easier to defend before this information is collected than after it has spread.

## The protection

Proton recommends considering aliases or plus addressing for recovery identities, along with two-factor authentication.

## Take action

Use a distinct recovery address and secure that mailbox too. An alias helps only if the underlying account is protected. Email protection depends on the route and settings. Ordinary mail involving outside providers is not automatically end-to-end encrypted, and email metadata is not universally hidden.

## Sources

[Proton Mail security checklist](https://proton.me/support/new-account-owner-security-checklist).

- Categories:
  [Proton Mail](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/categories/proton-mail/)
- Tags:
  [#Digital Self-Defense](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/digital-self-defense/), [#Proton Mail](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/proton-mail/), [#Email Privacy](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/email-privacy/), [#Account Security](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/account-security/)

[Guides RSS](https://switchboardtechservices.com/feeds/guides.xml "Subscribe using an RSS reader")

---

Canonical URL: https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/switch-to-protonmail-reason-45/

Language: en-us

Content type: guide

Author: Switchboard Tech Services

Published: 2026-09-12T00:32:29+00:00

Description: Why keep a recovery address harder for attackers to guess matters for privacy and security.
