Google Warns 1.8 Billion Gmail Users of Sophisticated Phishing Attack

Google has warned Gmail users about increasingly sophisticated phishing scams, including attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in Google's own infrastructure and mimic legitimate communications from Google. Security experts and Google itself have noted that these scams can bypass traditional warnings, with some phishing emails appearing to come from official Google addresses and passing standard authentication checks. In one high-profile case, a phishing email claimed to be a subpoena from Google, with the only clue being a subtle difference in the hosting domain. Google urges users to strengthen their account security by adopting passkeys and moving away from SMS-based two-factor authentication, as well as to monitor for suspicious account activity. Meanwhile, the rollout of end-to-end encryption for Gmail, while improving privacy, raises concerns among researchers that scammers may use fake encrypted message invitations as a new phishing tactic. Google has implemented additional protections against these threats and continues to advise vigilance among users.