New Phishing attack scheme is on loose now. New Phishing attack is targeted on Gmail users and many have become a prey for hackers and lost their credentials to criminals.
Internet security vendor-Bitefender has detected this new type of phishing attack. This scheme is way ahead of traditional phishing methods and it is hard to catch.
Chrome users are more venerable to this type of attack as the browser doest display the whole URL in its address bar.
”As Google Chrome doesn’t show the whole string, regular users have a hard time figuring out they are targeted in a phishing attack and may give their data to cyber-criminals,” Bitdefender security specialist Bianca Stanescu said in a blog post.
This Phishing attack starts with an email which appears like an announcement or notification email from Google with a subject title-‘mail Notice’ or ‘New Lockout Notice’.
Mail claims that recipient’s email account will be locked out in 24hours as the user failed to increase his/her email storage quota. This mail genuinely looks like sent by Google and fools the recipient. The prospective Victim hence clicks on an instructed link-“Go to the INSTANT INCREASE to increase your Email storage automatically”. This takes a victim into fake Google login page that asks for the victim’s credentials.
Bitdefender security specialist Bianca Stanescu said-Once hackers gain access to Google accounts, they can “buy apps on Google Play, hijack Google+ accounts and access confidential Google Drive documents,” And also added“Scammers usually pose as services that contact people by e-mail for announcements or notifications. Google, Facebook, eBay, phone services and financial institutions are among phishers’ favorite disguises to invade inboxes worldwide,”
All Gmail users keep an eye on such emails in your inbox and do not give away your credentials by following a spammy links.
