Google issues important warning to Gmail users

Google recently issued a warning to Gmail users after discovering that the “ShinyHunters” hacking group was actively targeting accounts that had been compromised by hackers using the Salesforce cloud platform. The breach leaves users of Google services vulnerable to further attacks, potentially exposing them to data theft.

With Gmail and Google Cloud used by an estimated 2.5 billion users worldwide, the company is urging people to be more cautious and take stronger security measures. Google's Threat Intelligence Group first warned in June about a campaign in which attackers use social engineering. The crooks often pose as IT support in order to trick victims.

In August, Google confirmed several successful hacks involving stolen passwords. Although the exposed Salesforce data was described as “basic and largely publicly available business data,” it is now being used for more serious attacks. Google believes ShinyHunters may have escalated the extortion campaign by setting up a website to expose the data, which would increase the pressure on victims. Impersonating IT staff via phone calls has proven very effective, with many victims coming from English-speaking branches of international companies.

The group, active since 2020 and named after a reference to Pokémon, has been linked to hacks of AT&T Wireless, Microsoft, Santander and Ticketmaster. Google notified all affected users on August 8 and advised them to change their passwords regularly and use two-factor authentication. While most users have strong and unique passwords, only a third update them regularly.