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    Avoid Google Phishing Email Attack: Follow Quick Steps
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    Avoid Google Phishing Email Attack: Follow Quick Steps

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    Devarpita Pathak | May 31, 2017 | 3334 Views | 0 Comments
    Avoid Google Phishing Email Attack: Follow Quick Steps

    Recently, Google customers fell prey of a scam that gave hackers the permission to access contents of online documents, contact lists, and emails of the victims.
     

    The users were asked to click on a link to a Google Doc that seemed to come from someone they knew.
     

    Google"s login and permissions page request the user to allow the fake Docs app to read, send, delete and manage the email and contacts of the user as soon as the user clicks on the link to open it.
     

    This was a sophisticated scam which worked through Google"s system, unlike the common attacks.
     

    Such phishing scams are run for extracting personal information like usernames, passwords, addresses and financial details from victims by leading them to a fake version of a real web page through an email.
     

    DON"T FALL INTO THIS TRAP
     

    About Phishing

    The false practice of sending out emails which seem to be from a source that is well-known, such as a utility provider or a major bank is known as Phishing.
     

    If you click on any such link, then it will take you to a fake site to steal the login details that you enter and can also install malware on your device.
     

    Whereas, on the other hand, there is a more targeted version of the above which is called as Spear Phishing.
     

    Through this, the emails will address you by your name and will appear to come from someone known to you in your organization, or it can also seem to have come from your email provider to warn you for changing your password.
     

    A study has shown that almost 56% of people click on such links that are sent to them and fall prey of spear phishing email attack.
     

    Don"t be a scam victim

    How to avoid Avoid Google Phishing Email Attack!


    • As a user, you should be doubtful if you receive a link to a document that you weren"t expecting.
    • If you are in doubt, then you are advised to send a separate message to the person from whom the link implies to have come from and ask them that whether they had sent it or not.
    • Don’t give the extensive permissions it asks for - it can be a scam.
    • You should always make sure that you read what is being requested before granting permissions.
    • If you still receive such an email, then flag it to Google by clicking the downward arrow in the top right-hand corner of the message and selecting "Report Phishing".
    • You are advised to regularly change the passwords of your online accounts to protect your information and data.
       
    Got Trapped?

    What to do if you opened the email
     

    There is still a chance to revoke the action if you have already given access to the scammers to your account.
     

    Follow these steps:
     

    • Go to the permissions section of "My Account" on a device you"re logged in to.
    • Here you will be able to see all the apps that have access to your Google account and what they can do.
    • The scam app will be in this list under the name "Google Docs" and will look legitimate.
    • However, when you click on it, it will have a recent authentication time and will display that it has permission to "manage your contacts" and "read, send, delete and manage your email".
    • Google here gives users the option to "Remove" permissions. Click this, read the terms and select "OK".
       

    These fraudulent practices are taking place regularly these days so be very careful about any suspicious emails inviting you to view Google documents.
     

    Act sensible and double-check with the sender of such an email to make sure that a document is real before you click on any of the links.
     

    Make sure that you should not approve any requests under any circumstances to give a site extra permissions over your email, as the real Google Doc never ask for such kind of permissions.
     

    The damage can be massive, so beware of such scams as it gives access to your most personal details and data.


    This content is brought to you by Mercury Solutions Limited, one of the best IT Training Company in India. Mehar Ahluwalia, the founder, with a vision of making the professionals’ career more fulfilling, is dedicated to delivering world-class IT Training programs and Certifications to the global participants.
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