E-Paper
Scammers bypass Gmail security feature introduced in May. Details here
The issue was detected by cybersecurity expert Chris Plummer, who said scammers were exploiting a ‘bug’ in the feature.
If you are an active Gmail user, or even use the service generally, here is what you must know. Hackers have been able to bypass a new security feature introduced by Google for its mail service; the feature was brought to help people distinguish between messages from legitimate addresses, and those sent by impersonators.
What is the feature?
In May, the tech giant began reflecting blue ticks next to mails. Below these, there is a notification that says: “The sender of this email verifies that they own (sender's mail address) and the logo in the profile image.”
This, according to Google, is a verification that the message is from a person who is not a scammer.
What is the scam?
The issue was detected by cybersecurity expert Chris Plummer, who detailed it in a Twitter thread. Plummer attributed this to a ‘bug’, which he said was being exploited by scammers to convince Google their fake brands are legitimate.
He also accused Google of a ‘won’t fix intended behavior.'
After the thread went viral, however, Google acknowledged the error, and apologised to Plummer for the ‘frustrating’ initial response.
As for the bug, it got listed as a ‘P1’ (top priority) fix, with an ‘S1’ severity, and its status is currently ‘in progress’ (accepted).
Further progress in the matter is awaited.
