According to an announcement made by Google on Thursday, Google Chat has replaced Google Hangouts and will now display banners warning you against the possibility of phishing and malware attacks coming from personal accounts. The most recent development in Google’s ongoing fight against phishing is a change that has been made to Google Chat.
During the 2022 I/O developer conference, Google discussed several security measures it has implemented to enhance user safety. These security measures include warnings against potential security issues as well as recommendations to fix them. In addition, Google detailed additional plans for additional security measures, including the expansion of their two-step verification system, ad customization, and increased data security.
The new warning banners that were introduced by Google initially appeared in Gmail on Workspace accounts. Their purpose was to draw attention to attempts to trick someone into clicking on a link that could be used to spread malware, phishing attacks, or ransomware. At the end of April, Google extended the banners to Google Docs, warning users against suspected malicious files in several Google Workspace apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawing) regardless of where the link was opened from. This was done in conjunction with the expansion of the banners to Google Drive.
This new feature will be rolled out over the next couple of weeks, and it will be available for use with personal Google accounts as well as with accounts belonging to customers of Google Workspace.