As Gmail Attack Warnings Surge—Do Not Switch To New App – Forbes
You don’t need a new Gmail app.I’m not going to lie; Gmail is under attack from some of the most sophisticated and dangerous attackers ever, that’s a fact. With AI-driven hack attacks hitting the headlines and going viral, some users of the world’s most popular free email platform, boasting 2.5 billion active accounts, might be thinking the time is right to switch to a different email app. For many people, that, in my humble opinion, would be a dangerous mistake. Here’s why.Here comes the science bit: all email users are vulnerable to sophisticated and dangerous attacks, and all email users are in the crosshairs of the attackers. OK, so not the most scientific analysis ever, but it’s the reality of the situation. Gmail remains high on the list of preferred targets for hackers and cybercriminals, purely because it’s so popular and access to a compromised Google account is such a valuable resource for threat actors of any variety. But, and it’s a big but, Microsoft’s Outlook is high on the list as well, as it can be seen as a route leading to corporate network compromise and the treasures that lay ahead. It doesn’t stop there, either; whatever email platform you use, whatever your email address, whatever app is employed to handle the recipes and sending of your communications, phishing attacks will still target you and still compromise far too many victims. There are platforms that are built around the security and privacy aspect, such as Proton Mail, which I use myself, but these will still not prevent a user from clicking on a link or falling for any number of phishing scams. If switching to a different email app gives you a false sense of security, that would, in my never humble opinion, be a very dangerous thing indeed. So, what about Gmail? Just how safe is it?This could come as a surprise to many people, but Gmail is actually a pretty safe email platform despite the number of attacks that target its users. Google has developed what it has called “ground-breaking AI models” to significantly strengthen Gmail cyber-defenses. These have included, Andy Wen, Gmail’s senior director of product management, said, “a new large language model that we trained on phishing, malware and spam.” Indeed, I am told that this large language model, using the identification of malicious patterns, has blocked 20% more spam, including phishing attacks, than before it was introduced. Another new AI Gmail protection acts a supervisor for existing defenses and, according to Wen, can instantly evaluate hundreds of threat signals when a potentially harmful message is flagged, and then deploy the most appropriate protection.But that’s not all. As I reported Feb. 3, new rules for strict sender authentication protocols when sending bulk email to Gmail users, introduced by Google a year ago, have had an astonishing impact on reducing the amount of potential phishing and malware threats that make it to inboxes. Google has confirmed it saw a 65% reduction in unauthenticated emails sent to Gmail users after just six months, and over the course of the whole year, there have been 265 billion fewer unauthenticated messages sent.One organization that assists with sender authentication protocol application,
EasyDMARC, told me that 77% of the 1,000 IT decision makers it queried said that Gmail’s policy influenced their decision to adopt DMARC and 87% supported expanding authentication requirements beyond bulk senders to further reduce phishing and spam risks. Now, if that doesn’t tell you that what Gmail does impacts the entire email provider industry, for the better, then I’m not sure what will.Switching from the Gmail app to a different email provider doesn’t solve the security problem; it merely moves it from one place to another. In fact, I’d argue that it is a positively dangerous thing to do if it makes you think you are now somehow immune from attack. It’s not the app you need to change; it’s your behavior. Please read the advice from Google about avoiding being caught by phishing attacks, and take particular note of the following: “Google uses advanced security to warn you about dangerous messages, unsafe content or deceptive websites. If you receive a warning, avoid clicking on links, downloading attachments or entering personal information. Even if you don’t receive a warning, don’t click on links, download files or enter personal info in emails, messages, web pages or pop-ups from untrustworthy or unknown providers.”Listen to what Google tells you.Is Gmail perfect? Heck no. Are there reasons for not using Gmail? Heck yes. Only you can decide if Google is the company that you trust with your email. But opting to switch to another app on the basis of phishing attacks against you as a Gmail user just doesn’t make much sense to me. When it comes to the phishing risk alone, Gmail is doing a great job in protecting users and should be applauded for it. Will I get hate mail and conspiracy theory accusations levied against me for saying so? Probably. But credit where credit is due, as someone who is more often reporting about the news security dangers Gmail users face, it’s only fair that I also report when Google is doing a good job.One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site’s Terms of Service. We’ve summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:So, how can you be a power user?Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site’s Terms of Service.
