Google will warn users if it believes their email account is the target of state-sponsored spying, in a move designed to protect activists, journalists and political figures online.
Users of the web giant’s free Gmail email service have been attacked by hackers believed to be working for the Chinese government, although Beijing angrily denied involvement. Those targeted included democracy activists, the personal email accounts of American and South Korean officials and military personnel.
Now Google will warn such vulnerable users and encourage them to tighten their security settings.
“We are constantly on the lookout for malicious activity on our systems, in particular attempts by third parties to log into users’ accounts unauthorised,” said Eric Grosse, Google’s vice president of security engineering.
“When we have specific intelligence - either directly from users or from our own monitoring efforts - we show clear warning signs and put in place extra roadblocks to thwart these bad actors.”
A new red warning bar will appear at the top of threatened users’ Google accounts.
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