What Should You Do If Google Warns Your Account Was Compromised in a State-Sponsored Attack?
- Posted on June 6, 2012 at 12:47pm by
Liz Klimas
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BEIJING (The Blaze/AP) – ”Warning: We believe state-sponsored attackers may be trying to compromise your account or computer.”
This is the message you will see from Google from now on should your account ever become compromised. The company announced that it added this feature Tuesday as a precaution for users. Although Google didn’t specify a specific government, it did closed its search engine in China in 2010 after saying it no longer wanted to cooperate with Beijing’s Internet censorship following hacking attacks traced to China.
Here's what Google's warning would look like. (Image: Google Online Security Blog)
In a blog post, Vice President of Security Engineering Eric Grosse wrote:
If you see this warning it does not necessarily mean that your account has been hijacked. It just means that we believe you may be a target, of phishing or malware for example, and that you should take immediate steps to secure your account. [...] These warnings are not being shown because Google’s internal systems have been compromised or because of a particular attack.
Google cannot say how it knows activity is state-sponsored without giving information that would help attackers, Grosse wrote. But detailed analysis and victim reports “strongly suggest the involvement of states or groups that are state-sponsored,” he wrote.
Here are a couple things Grosse suggests you do if you see this message:
- Create a new, unique password. Be sure to make it a mix of capital and lowercase letters with punctuation marks and numbers.
- Enable “2-step verification”
- Update your browser and operating system.
- Be wary of fake sign-in pages. When signing into Google, you should see “https://accounts.google.com/”
PC World explains 2-step verification is a function that uses your cellphone to confirm identity:
While in many cases it’s a secure method of authentication, some security experts believe it’s a method ripe for hacker exploitation.
For example, users can be lured to a website with the promise of free gift cards or some such. During the registration process, users can be asked for their email address and their verification code. With those two pieces of information, anyone can break into the user’s account and engage in all sorts of mischief.
Check out this quick Google video for more tips on setting a safe password:
A report in November by U.S. intelligence agencies said Chinese and Russian intelligence services and companies with state ties systematically break into American computer systems to steal commercial information.
(Related: Security Company: China linked to cyber attacks on 48 chemical and defense companies)
Western security experts say China’s military is a leader in cyberwarfare research.
Beijing has rejected suggestions by Western security experts that its military or government agencies were involved in the Google hacking. But it has not responded publicly to appeals by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other officials to help investigate hacking attacks.
Google’s latest move comes after the company added a feature to its Chinese-language search engine in Hong Kong last week that warns users in China who enter search keywords that might produce blocked results. It highlights which terms might trigger filters, challenging official Chinese efforts to conceal censorship.
Google’s 2010 announcement that it was closing its search engine in China said email accounts of human rights activists critical of China had been hacked. The company said some of its intellectual property also was stolen in a separate attack that targeted at least 20 other large companies.
Last year, Google said computer hackers in China broke into the personal Gmail accounts of several hundred people, including senior U.S. government officials, military personnel and political activists. That intrusion was based on less sophisticated trickery used to obtain passwords and other information.
Grosse ended his post writing “We believe it is our duty to be proactive in notifying users about attacks or potential attacks so that they can take action to protect their information.”
Featured image via Shutterstock.
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Aloha Kaleiohi
Posted on June 10, 2012 at 1:39amI Don’t care!….I’m not ashamed of being a conservative, constitutional, Christian that hates what obama and his regime are doing to America….I am pro life, believe in a one man, one woman marriage and I stand with Israel!..I don’t believe in man made global warming…but I do believe in global warning…..and that Sharia law and the UN are trying to invade the USA…with the help from our communist leaders….
Report Post »I am willing to die for my beliefs ..so big brother …..don’t mess with me cause I have the King of Kings for my father
beelzebub
Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:52pm… Google please send my ALERT … OBAMA was elected almost 4 years ago … you guys are a little slow …
Seig Hiel Der Furher Obama
Report Post »Gregg Weber
Posted on June 9, 2012 at 3:10pmNow how would I make a list of those that might oppose me?
Report Post »1kingforall
Posted on June 9, 2012 at 2:24pmBOOO ! BOO! BOOOOOO !JUST DON‘T use it so just don’t care real is right here at home want some peace share little info just like it used to be :)
Report Post »kchercmech
Posted on June 9, 2012 at 1:04pmGet rid of the tracking sites – use http://gibiru.com/ for searching. Totally anonymous.
Report Post »gouchrcouch
Posted on June 9, 2012 at 4:59pmthanks for the info DUDE!!
Report Post »Vladilyich
Posted on June 9, 2012 at 1:00pmThis all sounds very nice, but will they notify you if you are under attack from an American State Sponsored invasion? I think not. NSA, CIA, FBI are all trying to crack all of your files. The government ne3e3ds to be overthrown and returned to 1790 status.
Report Post »Ricky1146
Posted on June 9, 2012 at 12:20pmI really dont get the anti slant of Google but the Use Microsoft promotion? The State sponsored attack thing is like 2 years old to me. I recall this was due to the crackdown of China co opting Chinese Dissidents accounts and using them to spy & find the individuals. How is google protecting/warning its users a bad thing?
Report Post »geminimoon
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:04amGoogle, Bing & Yahoo. They all 3 track you in the same ways and record every move you make on the WWW. Use a search engine that doesn’t, like ixquick.
I wouldn’t use IE or Google Chrome for anything! If you want to be safe online then get rid of your Windows operating system and switch to something Linux like Fedora 16 and stop worrying about virus’ malware, spyware and all of that crap! For safe browsers use Opera or a Mozilla browser.
Want to be totally safe use TOR…
Report Post »SkyhawkPilot
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 4:19pmNo operating system or browser is completely safe. Switching to an OS that you’re not familiar with can actually make matters worse, as you won’t know how to secure it in a basic way. Behavior modification, in combination with basic system security – firewall (yes, the built-in Windows firewall is fine,) anti-virus (THAT IS KEPT UP TO DATE – that means stop cancelling or closing the update window just because it’s “in the way” or “annoying”) – are by far the most effective. Side note on the anti-virus: the pay-for AV’s are usually not the best options. There are many excellent free AV’s out there, like Avira, Avast, AVG, etc.
If you behave as though your system is impenetrable, you will eventually do something that will compromise it. My advice: stick with an up-to-date version of whatever OS you’re comfortable with; Microsoft releases most of its updates on Tuesdays, and those updates plug security holes that malware use, so let them run (you can always put off the reboot); I do recommend people switch from Internet Explorer, because most exploits are written specifically for it, to something like Firefox augmented with the NoScript addon. NoScript takes some getting used to, but you‘ll be amazed at how many outside websites have ’stuff’ running on any given website (this is actually one criticism I have of The Blaze – right now, NoScript shows 24 other domains running ‘stuff’ on this story page.)
Source: 4+ years fixing computers at the Berkeley Nationa
Report Post »MCDAVE
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 8:27pmSwitch to firefox and use the ghostery feature..no company can track your moves on the internet
Report Post »garbagecanlogic
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 4:47pmI was smart a long time ago and stopped using giggle. They are too corrupt and in bed with the obama administration.
Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
Report Post »The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
tckid17
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 4:44pmUse Bing as your search engine!
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 5:33pmI have a blog through google. about 3 years ago it got hacked and when I tried to access it, it went to a russian porn site…or maybe chinese, I don’t know the difference in languages, but sounded russian. I got infected from a video I posted on the blog. But I played heck getting into it.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 4:30pmHmmmmm!
Report Post »scrudge
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 4:01pmAh Yes…. gOOGLE is for idiots
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 3:59pm2nd Amendment time.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 3:29pmGot rid of all my Google accounts, reformatted my computer and never use Google anymore. : )
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on June 6, 2012 at 2:59pm…and the left called Beck ‘stupid’ for warning us about GOOGLE….go figure, Beck was right again…If your still using Google, its your own fault when the s*** hits the fan shortly.
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