Just yesterday, news emerged of a new Google Drive phishing scam that attempted to trick email users into opening fake Google Docs links.
The scam was the latest in a series of increasingly sophisticated phishing attempts, with Google saying: “We have taken action to protect users against an email impersonating Google Docs, and have disabled offending accounts.
Now, it seems the company has turned its attention to shutting down similar scams delivered via Gmail.
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A new update to the Gmail app for Android includes a feature designed to warn users when they’re being targeted by a phishing attack.
The anti-phishing security check means users will be shown a warning when clicking on a suspicious link in an email.
As Google writes in a blog post, the text of the warning reads: “The site you are trying to visit has been identified as a forgery, intended to trick you into disclosing financial, personal or other sensitive information.”
Users will be given the option to continue to the link despite the warning, and to report when a warning has been shown incorrectly.
Google explained the new feature in the blog post: “While not all affected email will necessarily be dangerous, we encourage you to be extra careful about clicking on links in messages that you’re not sure about.
“And with this update, you’ll have another tool to make these kinds of decisions.”
The update will be arriving on Gmail for Android over the coming days, so keep an eye out in the next two or three days.
Let us know what you think of Gmail’s new feature in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
