Google Gives Serious Warning, Gmail Hacking Rate Increases

JAKARTA Not long ago, Google confirmed that attacks on Gmail users continued to increase. Many hackers are trying to steal passwords to access user accounts.

This situation also caused a spike in 'suspicious entry' warnings from Google. Unfortunately, this warning was also used by hackers to create new phishing attacks that were more trusted.

When security alerts appear, users tend to panic and press any URL or button that appears in their warning email. In fact, the tap button or URL will direct the user to a malicious website.

In the end, users will give their account access to hackers. Google has realized the emergence of problems like this. As a form of warning, Google prohibits users from directly clicking on any links or buttons in the emails they receive.

Users are encouraged to check accounts that send emails first. You do this by going to Google Accounts, then to the Security panel, and reviewing the latest security Events. This is the safest way to verify the warning.

Shane Barney, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Keeper Security, joined in talking about this phishing issue. Barney stressed that the credentials that were broken into remained the main entrance for hackers.

"The best defense is layered security," Barney told VOI on Friday, August 29. "(Gmail users can) replace the old password with a long and unique password, enable two-factor authentication, and use a password key.'

For extra protection, Barney recommends the use of hardware-based security keys like YubiKeys. The key can make account takeover much more difficult. The reason is, hackers need the physical ownership of devices and knowledge of PIN.

These measures do not completely eliminate risks. However, these various prevention efforts are considered to be able to reduce the success of hackers in stealing or accessing user Gmail accounts.