Billions of Google users urged to change passwords immediately

Google has urged 2.5 billion Gmail users to change their passwords following a massive hacking attack by the ShinyHunters group. The technology giant strongly recommends monitoring any suspicious activity carefully and immediately implementing additional security measures, including two-factor authentication, reports New York Post.

The corporation emphasized basic digital security rules: cybercriminals can gain access to account credentials through sophisticated phishing emails with skillfully forged login pages or through psychological manipulation, convincing users to reveal two-factor authentication codes.

The increased vigilance regarding security issues is directly related to a serious incident in June, when Google officially confirmed the compromise of the Salesforce database. The attackers masterfully disguised themselves as support staff, which proved to be an extremely effective method of deceiving company employees. According to available data, the attack primarily affected publicly available information - contact details of small and medium-sized business representatives. Cybersecurity experts warn that similar tactics could be used to organize larger-scale cyberattacks.

Google also warned that the hacking group ShinyHunters, which began its criminal activities in 2020 and is behind major data breaches of giants such as AT&T, Microsoft, Santander and Ticketmaster, may create a specialized website to pressure victims by publishing stolen confidential data.

All users affected by the recent cyber incidents received official email notifications on August 8.