How does the Google Critical Security Alert scam look?
Google’s Critical Security Alert is a useful security feature that
notifies you every time a new device is used to log into your account.
It may be you, or it may be a perpetrator. Either way, you will receive
an email from Google double-checking whether the login was intended. If
it wasn’t you, you should immediately check your Gmail account for any
suspicious activity.
Many users receive these warnings after buying a new device, signing
in from their work computer, or when browsing behind a proxy or a VPN
server. The latter will change your IP address; therefore, Google will
identify your connection as coming from a new device.
However, hackers wouldn’t be hackers if they wouldn’t find ways to
exploit a trustworthy security feature and turn it into a phishing
attack. Gmail users have been reporting phishing emails that seemed to
be coming from Google. They usually present one of these two scenarios:
The email notifies users of a new attempted sign-in, claims that
Google blocked the attempt, and asks the user to check their activity.
However, the button that would normally lead to your Google security
page here is spoofed. It leads to a malicious website or downloads
malware directly onto your device;
The email notifies users of unauthorized access and asks them to reset
their password immediately. In this scenario, the button to reset your
password leads to a spoofed website that looks very similar to a
legitimate Google login page. However, if a user enters their details
here, they’re sent directly to the hacker.
What to do if you received a Google Critical Security Alert email
.Ask yourself whether it might be legitimate. Are you using a new
device? Did you use a new device at work or borrow a friend’s device to
log in? Or maybe your VPN launched automatically, and Google recognizes a
new IP address? If so, the email might be a legitimate false alarm.
.Check who the sender is. Did the email come from a legitimate Google
account? Hover over the sender but don’t click on it or reply to the
email.
.Check the quality of the text. Does it have any grammatical errors?
What about the writing style? Is it formal enough to pass for Google?
Legitimate companies usually painstakingly proofread emails they send to
users. If you spot any mistakes, it’s a good indication that it’s a
phishing email.
.Never click on any links or buttons or download any files. Don’t give into temptation, even if the email ‘urges’ you to do so.
.Whether or not the email is legitimate, you can safely check your
account activity by going to your Google account security checkup page.
Here, you can see what devices and how many of them are currently signed
in, check recent security events, and see which third-party apps have
access to your account. Check all these tabs for suspicious activity. If
you can’t see anything, it was likely a phishing scam.
.If you went through the steps above and are sure that the alert was
legitimate, change your passwords immediately. Also, read these tips to
check for suspicious activity and what else needs to be done to reclaim
your account.
What if you fell for the Google Critical Security Alert scam?
If you clicked on any links, downloaded attached files, or entered your
details on a spoofed website, you may be in trouble. This means that
hackers may already have your password or have installed malicious
software onto your device.
It’s time to act fast. Hackers may now be able to:
Take screenshots of your desktop;
Steal passwords you saved on your drive or your web browser;
Steal, amend or delete your files;
Download more malware or adware onto your device;
Install copies of the same malware and run it in secret, especially if you managed to spot it and manually delete it.
Here’s what you should do next if you have a suspicion that someone
might have accessed your personal information or got into your device:
.Make stronger passwords. Delete them from your browser and use a password manager like NordPass instead;
.Locate the malware and manually delete it. This may require some
technical know-how. If you are not comfortable doing this, try a
third-party malware detection/antivirus program or speak to a
professional and let them take care of it.
When come to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN.
RitaVPN is an excellent tool for protecting your online privacy and
security. And with the using of RitaVPN, you can also access your
favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers
and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming
channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
Qwer432
http://www.fastritavpn.com/
http://www.buyvpns.net/
http://www.buyvpnservices.com/
