Islamabad, Oct 14: Major Security Alert Issued for 2 Billion Gmail Users Over Sophisticated AI-Driven Hacking Threat. In order to protect Gmail accounts from any hacks, Google has been gradually strengthening its defenses. But as these defenses change, so are the strategies used by cybercriminals, who are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create more complex attacks.
Given that Gmail has more than 2.5 billion users, according to Google data, the scope of this problem is enormous. Because they consider every user to be a potential victim, hackers and scammers find this enormous number of accounts to be an alluring target.
A smartphone with the Gmail logo and an AI concept emblem in the background. Microsoft solutions expert Sam Mitrovic recently sent a warning to all 2 Billion Gmail users, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
Mitrovic said that he almost fell for a “super realistic AI scam call.” This episode is a clear warning that even people who are proficient in technology can fall prey to these sophisticated deception tactics.
How the Scam Operates:
Mitrovic described a complex attack that almost took down his 2 Billion Gmail account in a recent blog post. The incident started a week before Mitrovic realized how complicated the threat he was up against was.
First, Mitrovic was prompted to authorize a recovery attempt for his Gmail account. This kind of request is a common phishing technique that is used to trick visitors into entering their credentials on phony login pages. Knowing about these schemes, Mitrovic disregarded the alert.
This seemed to be from the United States, followed by a missed call approximately forty minutes later that was allegedly from Google in Sydney, Australia. But exactly one week later, things became more heated. Forty minutes later, Mitrovic got a call after receiving another request for permission of an account recovery. He took the call this time.
Mitrovic was alerted to suspicious behavior on his Gmail account by an American voice posing as Google assistance. Posing as a Google support agent, the caller started off by asking Mitrovic seemingly harmless inquiries on his travel schedule and login credentials. This strategy was intended to engender anxiety in the recipient while also fostering trust.
According to the impostor, an attacker had been gaining access to Mitrovic’s Gmail account for the previous seven days and had already downloaded account information. Mitrovic was deeply affected by this news because it aligned with the missed call and recovery message he had received a week prior.
While on the call, Mitrovic looked up the incoming phone number online to try to confirm the caller’s identity. He was surprised to see that the number went to Google business pages, a cunning move that may fool a lot of unwary visitors in a hurry. However, the website was for Google Assistant calls, not Google support.
“You’ll hear the reason for the call and that the call is from Google at the start of the call,” the official Google page said when discussing automated calls from Google. The call will likely originate from an automated system or, occasionally, a human operator.
Despite being true, this information unintentionally gave the scammer’s strategy more legitimacy. As soon as they encounter one of these scam efforts, users are advised to double-check it.
