Google Calendar users warned of spoofing scam
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Cybersecurity experts are warning of a new threat targeting Google Calendar users involving fake invitations designed to dupe people into revealing sensitive information
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Google Meet has also been subject to phishing scams in the past week, with deceptive URLs being sent to lure people into downloading malware.
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The warnings come as Gmail users have been warned to enable two-factor authentication in the light of a dangerous new ransomware threat campaign.
Google Calendar users are being targeted by a new spoofing scam where cybercriminals send fake diary invitations to trick people into revealing sensitive data and clicking on malicious links.
NordVPN, a global cybersecurity firm, reports a rise in these scams aimed at both businesses and individual consumers.
Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN, explains that Google Calendar spoofing is a sophisticated phishing attack that can easily deceive users. He notes that attackers exploit people’s trust in well-known brand calendar invites, bypassing traditional spam filters by using legitimate Google services.
Warmenhoven emphasizes the severity of these attacks, which can lead to financial losses and data breaches. He advises users to verify the authenticity of every invitation and implement robust security measures, such as enabling “known sender” settings and using anti-phishing tools.
NordVPN’s recent study indicates that Google is a prime target for impersonation by scammers seeking to steal user information.
Warmenhoven also recommends that users report suspicious Google Calendar invitations to Google to improve the platform’s spam detection algorithms. He suggests changing Google Calendar settings to require manual approval for meeting invitations as a preventive measure. For suspicious invitations received via email, he advises reporting them as spam and deleting them.
NordVPN has also observed a surge in scams related to Google Meet, where phishing emails direct businesses to deceptive URLs that attempt to install info-stealing malware. Warmenhoven urges users to double-check URLs and sender legitimacy and to avoid downloading unexpected files.
Additionally, Gmail users face a sophisticated scam involving convincing emails or phone calls claiming an account has been hacked, prompting users to provide recovery codes. The interconnectedness of Google services could lead to significant financial losses and multiple data breaches.
These escalating cybersecurity threats have prompted technology companies to enhance their protective measures. Microsoft, for example, is launching AI-powered cybersecurity “agents” to identify suspicious emails, thwart hackers, and gather intelligence on the source of attacks, signaling a growing reliance on AI in combating cyberattacks.
