Google Adds Phishing Protection To Android Gmail App

Yesterday, millions of Gmail users became the targets of a phishing scam in which someone they knew sent a Google Doc for them to edit. Once they clicked on the email, however, they opened their computers and email accounts to ne’er-do-wells. Now, Google is launching an update that may make it easier for users to decipher when an email is suspicious — as long as they’re using the Android app. 

Google announced Wednesday that it launched a new security feature for its Gmail Android app that aims to help users keep their accounts safe from hackers.

With the new feature, when a user clicks on a suspicious link in a message, a message, a pop-up notice from Gmail will warn that phishing is suspected.

“The site you are trying to visit has been identified as a forgery intended to trick you into disclosing financial, personal, or other sensitive information,’ the notice states. “You can continue to [the link] at your own risk.”

While Google notes that not all emails to receive the warning will be dangerous, users should be “extra careful about clicking on links in messages that you’re not sure about.”

The warning also includes an option where users can indicate that they don’t believe that the site is actually a phishing site and that the warning is incorrect.

TechCrunch notes that while the new warning might not have flagged yesterday’s Google Doc phishing email — as it wasn’t linking to an outside source — the new warnings could help prevent other widespread attempted hacks.

As for Wednesday’s hack, Google say sit has taken actions to disable offending accounts and made updates to its Safe Browsing system.