Google warns users about new state-sponsored attacks

Can you remember when in June Google declared its objective to start warning Googlemail customers that their account might be targeted by state-sponsored attackers?

A clear alert above the Gmail mailbox would pop up regardless of what web browser the customers used, and it was not restricted only to those whose accounts have been hi-jacked, but were also seen by customers that Google considered might be targets.

Mike Wiacek, a administrator on Google’s information protection group, said to the NYT that since then, Google has enhanced its information on strike techniques and the groups behind them, and has began forcing out new signals on Tuesday – as confirmed by a number of U.S. reporters, scientists and foreign policy professionals who said they already received the alert.

But while before the strikes were coming mostly from China, now Google finds many strikes that can be tracked to Middle Eastern nations (Wiacek did not want to say which ones).

As before, Google suggests to the customers that get the alert to speed up their protection by modifying their e-mail and security password details to something long and complicated, to allow two-factor verification for them, and to always keep their OS and other software updated.