Google Alerts Gmail Users Of Possible Hacker Attack
MOUNTAIN VIEW (KCBS) - Google has warned some Gmail users their accounts may fall victim to a well-financed, coordinated hacker attack.
"We believe state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or your computer," reads a bright pink banner that appears on the log-in page of some Gmail accounts.
"The real big lesson is to make sure you're updated. Make sure you're thinking about things that you're clicking," said Bruce Snell, director of technical marketing at Santa Clara-based Internet security firm McAfee.
"When people send you things, make sure those are actually the people that you think are sending them," said Snell.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
The warnings do not indicate the account has been hacked, merely that it is at risk. The banners appear primarily for users with weak passwords that do not contain a mix of alphanumeric characters, and accounts that have not activated a two-step identification process that involves confirmation through a cell phone text message.
The Google warning does not indicate what government the company believes is behind the attacks.
Snell described government hacking as "the next logical step in modern warfare."
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