Google is warning people not to open any suspicious emails after a new phishing scam left a huge number of its Gmail users open to hackers.
The scam involves an email inviting people to open a Google Doc, which looks like it's sent by a friend.
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The link leads through to a Google page which asks the user if they allow permission. If they click yes, the scammers will have full access to the account and access to potentially sensitive personal information.
The tech giant hasn't said how many people have been affected by the scam, but it did tweet a warning about it yesterday.
The subject line will usually read: "[contact's name] just shared a Google Doc with you". So, it looks the same as a legit invite.
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If you've received an email like this recently and clicked the link, you may be a victim of the attack. If you have, don't panic. You can go into the My Account page and have a look at the permissions. Remove all permissions from 'Google Doc', if it's there and has a recent authorised date.
Once you've booted it out, it won't have access to your emails anymore. However, if your Gmail account is your work, university or school account it's a good idea to tell whoever controls your network, so they can stop it from spreading.
Also, contact anyone you think may have been sent the same link from your account, and warn them about opening anything or giving out any permissions.
Credit: PA
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For the future, if anyone sends you a link to a Google Doc, it's a good idea to check they actually have sent it, before clicking or giving permissions to anything.
Google is also requesting that anyone who has been sent the email reports it within the app.
Featured Image Credit: PA
