Google to warn Gmail users more clearly about state hackers

Google now clearly warns Gmail users against hackers working on behalf of a government. The new warning should attract more attention than the old one, which the company has been displaying since 2012.

The new warning will appear across the entire page instead of just in a line below the address bar. The old warning remains, but only in combination with the more noticeable new method. If the user ignores the message, Google warns that it is possible that the attackers can, among other things, spy on the user and gain access to his or her data.

The warning states that it is possible for government-backed attackers to try to steal the user’s password. To avoid this, Google recommends enabling two-factor authentication and setting a security key. The message also states that there is a chance that it is a false alarm, and that less than 0.1 percent of users ever see the warning.

Google has shown another warning for the same situation since 2012, but the company now apparently considers it insufficient. At the end of 2015, Twitter and Facebook, among others, announced that they would also warn users if they suspect that government-backed hackers are trying to gain access to an account.