Hackers always seem to find new and different ways to attack tech users and they are normally difficult to detect straight away. Currently, Google is asking their users to change a simple setting, especially if you use Google Calendar – which is currently under threat.
The team at Check Point have found that hackers have been sending harmless-looking emails to Gmail accounts with a link asking you to add a date to your calendar. These emails look more convincing as cyber criminals have been able to use around 300 popular firms to trick people into clicking the link.
The Mirror reports that by following the link, the victims could end up passing over personal data, which in turn can be used to steal their money and other private information.
Check point said: “Due to Google Calendar’s popularity and efficiency in everyday tasks, it is no wonder it has become a target for cyber criminals. Recently, cyber security researchers at Check Point, have observed cyber criminal manipulation of dedicated Google tools – namely Google Calendar and Google Drawings.
“Many of the emails appear legitimate because they appear to directly originate from Google Calendar.”
A red alert has been sent out as Check Point researchers have found around 4,000 phishing emails with this hack in a four week period.
What to look out for
• The initial emails include a link or the calendar file (.ics) with a link to Google Forms or Google Drawings.
• Users are then asked to click on another link, which is often disguised as a fake reCAPTCHA or support button.
• After clicking on the link, the user is forwarded to a page that looks like a cryptocurrency mining landing page or bitcoin support page.
• These pages are actually intended to perpetrate financial scams. Once users reach said page, they are asked to complete a fake authentication process, enter personal information, and eventually provide payment details.
Google is advising their users to accept calendar invites and instead switch on the “known senders” setting on Google Calendar. This setting will help defend the user from this time of attack by alerting them when they receive an invitation from someone they have not interacted with before or who is not currently on their contact list.
How to turn on known senders setting in Google Calendar
- Open the Google Calendar app
- Tap Menu in the top left
- Tap Settings
- Tap General
- Tap Adding invitations
- Tap Add invitations to my calendar
- Select Only if the sender is known
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