Google warns users of 'state-sponsored attacks'
Google has begun to warn its users if their accounts may be compromised by state-sponsored cyber attacks, to help people protect personal data.
"We are constantly on the lookout for malicious activity on our systems, in particular attempts by third parties to log into users' accounts unauthorized," Google engineering security vice-president Eric Grosse said in a blog post on Tuesday.
The warnings do not necessarily mean that the account has been hijacked, but indicates that it may be a target, of phishing or malware.
The move comes amid growing concerns about malware from the so-called Flame virus which has been spreading in the Middle East, and indications of cyber warfare involving the United States and other countries.
Google said users who receive the warning should create "a unique password that has a good mix of capital and lowercase letters, as well punctuation marks and numbers" and take other measures including two-step verification as additional security.
"Attackers often send links to fake sign-in pages to try to steal your password, so be careful about where you sign in to Google," he said.
"It's likely that you received emails containing malicious attachments, links to malicious software downloads, or links to fake websites that are designed to steal your passwords or other personal information," it says on the page, but Google is also sure to say that its internal systems haven't actually been compromised, and that the alert does not refer to one specific campaign.
This is not the first time Google has begun notifying its users of possible account hijacking. Following the high-profile Aurora attacks that targeted Google and a great number of its users, the company has begun popping up similar alerts.
ٍSources:
net-security
The Times of India
Google has begun to warn its users if their accounts may be compromised by state-sponsored cyber attacks, to help people protect personal data.
"We are constantly on the lookout for malicious activity on our systems, in particular attempts by third parties to log into users' accounts unauthorized," Google engineering security vice-president Eric Grosse said in a blog post on Tuesday.
The warnings do not necessarily mean that the account has been hijacked, but indicates that it may be a target, of phishing or malware.
The move comes amid growing concerns about malware from the so-called Flame virus which has been spreading in the Middle East, and indications of cyber warfare involving the United States and other countries.
Google said users who receive the warning should create "a unique password that has a good mix of capital and lowercase letters, as well punctuation marks and numbers" and take other measures including two-step verification as additional security.
"Attackers often send links to fake sign-in pages to try to steal your password, so be careful about where you sign in to Google," he said.
"It's likely that you received emails containing malicious attachments, links to malicious software downloads, or links to fake websites that are designed to steal your passwords or other personal information," it says on the page, but Google is also sure to say that its internal systems haven't actually been compromised, and that the alert does not refer to one specific campaign.
This is not the first time Google has begun notifying its users of possible account hijacking. Following the high-profile Aurora attacks that targeted Google and a great number of its users, the company has begun popping up similar alerts.
ٍSources:
net-security
The Times of India
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