Google Chat to the rescue, protecting users against cyberscams. 

Google is releasing an update for its Microsoft Office 365 competing software and it will prevent users from falling into the trap of cyberscams. 

In a recent blog post, the Google Workspace parent company claimed that Chat users will get warning alerts. These alert banners will warn them about potentially harming messages which might carry phishing links or malware containing downloads. 

Google says this feature will be available for mobile and web clients. It will help them in keeping their data secure and protected from cyberattack attempts. 

Google Chat attacks 

Ever since pandemic and hybrid working, there was rapid growth in cyberattacks. Businesses had to operate remotely while worrying about potential cyberattacks. This also created a situation where employees were operating without corporate security. 

There is a study indicating that during the pandemic 1 out of 61 organizations were hit with ransomware. Similarly, there was a 40% increase in cyberattacks. In fact, by the end of 2021, 925 cyberattacks were launched in a week globally, against every organization. 

Phishing is the most common, old security threat. It is old but evolved with time. The attacker presents itself as a legitimate sender to trick innocent victims into sharing sensitive information. 

Normally these attacks are launched via email. However, hackers have to be conniving enough to pass the filtration system. Recently it is observed that hackers are using chatbots to steal data from users. They are also using another Google workspace app Google forms to execute phishing campaigns. 

The Google Chat update is built on the company’s email and cloud storage-based service. Both are programmed to render security alerts in case of a suspicious link. The company hopes by using this feature on Chat would close potential cyberattack points. 

This feature will be available to all Google account holders within the next few weeks. I think this feature would be appreciated by many organizations that now are fighting cyber attempts daily.