City
Epaper

Google sent 12,000 warnings about govt-backed attacks in Q3

By IANS | Updated: November 27, 2019 13:45 IST

Google sent 12,000 warnings to users in 149 countries that they were targeted by government-backed attackers during the three-month period from July to September this year. Out of these 12,000 warnings, about 500 were sent to users in India.

Open in App

This is consistent with the number of warnings sent in the same period of 2018 and 2017, Google said.

"We've had a long-standing policy to send users warnings if we detect that they are the subject of state-sponsored phishing attempts, and have posted periodically about these before," Shane Huntley from Google's Threat Analysis Group wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.

Over 90 per cent of these users were targeted via "credential phishing emails".

These are usually attempts to obtain the target's password or other account credentials to hijack their account.

"We encourage high-risk users - like journalists, human rights activists, and political campaigns - to enroll in our Advanced Protection Program (APP), which utilises hardware security keys and provides the strongest protections available against phishing and account hijackings. APP is designed specifically for the highest-risk accounts," Huntley said.

In a typical such attack, an attacker sends a phishing email with a security alert lure from "Goolge" suggesting the user secure their account.

The user clicks the link, enters their password, and may also get asked for a security code if they have two-factor authentication enabled, allowing the attacker to access their account.

Google's Threat Analysis Group works to counter targeted and government-backed hacking against Google and its users.

"In the past, we've posted on issues like phishing campaigns, vulnerabilities and disinformation. Going forward, we'll share more technical details and data about the threats we detect and how we counter them to advance the broader digital security discussion," Huntley said.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Shane HuntleygoogleThreat Analysis GroupIans
Open in App

Related Stories

Technology'In Memory of Victims': What Does the Black Ribbon Below Google Search Bar Mean?

Social ViralToday’s Google Googly: Where Did the Arabic Numerals Originate? Find the Correct Answer Here

TechnologyWhy Is Google Lens Coming to YouTube Shorts and What Can It Do?

EntertainmentGoogle and Kamal Haasan’s RKFI Join Forces to Launch an Interactive Search Animation for Thug Life

CricketToday’s Google Googly: What Is a Diamond Duck? Find the Correct Answer Here

कारोबार Realted Stories

BusinessA10 Networks Receives Special Prize in Two Categories at Interop Tokyo 2025 "Best of Show Award"

BusinessTerra Motors Appoints L5 Dealership to Top L3 Dealers in Varanasi; 200km Range from Rs.3.65L, Zero Down Payment; Targets 100 Dealers in India

BusinessEaseMyTrip and OneBanc Announce strategic alliance to revolutionize corporate travel in India with AI integration

BusinessIndia's Most Forward-Thinking Workplaces to Be Celebrated at the GCC Workplace Awards 2025

BusinessIndia’s small-cap market value jumps 5X in 7 years, grows at 27.6 pc CAGR: Report