 Caption: Top U.S. officials phished through Gmail. |
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Numerous government-associated Gmail accounts, including some belonging to senior U.S. officials, have been hit by a far-reaching phishing scheme, according to CNN Money.
The sophisticated scam has many across the globe worried about protecting themselves from identity theft. While Gmail’s security systems were reportedly untouched, the company thinks the password-stealing malware that caused the event may have originated in Jinan, China. Several Asian countries, including China and South Korea, were also targeted by hackers.
In a statement released on Google’s blog, company officials explained that most phishing scams are not directed at particular individuals but instead aimed at a wider population in order to track the identities and financial information for as many people as possible. Google advises users to be mindful of security precautions and reminds them that it would never request an account password via email.
The International Business Times has also offered some tips for using the Web safely. The news source suggests double checking a Web address before submitting login information in order to avoid falling prey to hacker-made imitation websites.
