Skip to main content

Google bolsters Gmail security with anti-spam and early phishing detection

Gmail is already really, really good at identifying spam, but it’s about to get even better. Google announced a series of new security features today that aim to make businesses that rely on Gmail even more secure, though the enhancements will no doubt benefit ordinary users, too.

First, to get a sense of how intelligent the company’s machine learning models have become at flagging malicious communications, Google claims Gmail now identifies spam and phishing attempts with 99.9 percent accuracy. That’s a stunning statistic, but the search giant still isn’t satisfied — which is why it has bolstered its efforts with a new technology called early phishing detection.

Recommended Videos

Early phishing detection withholds some messages from delivery for a brief time — less than 0.05 percent, Google says — to perform deeper analysis. The service checks these messages against other similarly suspicious examples to generate a more accurate model, strengthening Gmail’s detection abilities. If you happen to click on an email and stumble upon a warning of suspected phishing, this is the process that’s keeping you at arm’s length from the sketchy stuff.

But, of course, Gmail users are human (mostly), and occasionally make human mistakes — like accidentally divulging company secrets. Google is aware of this, which explains another critical update it is rolling out to business users. If you attempt to send an email to someone outside your employer’s domain that you don’t have a history of contacting, Gmail will now warn you before you click the send button.

In addition to early phishing detection and unintended reply warnings, Gmail has also gotten better at sniffing out malicious attachments by tapping into sender heuristics and common spam signals. Google also blocks certain file types, like .exe, that pose greater security risks. For more information on all of Gmail’s security updates, Google’s Andy Wen dove into the finer details in a recent blog entry.

Adam Ismail
Former Contributor
Adam’s obsession with tech began at a young age, with a Sega Dreamcast – and he’s been hooked ever since. Previously…
Google’s latest anti-spam change helps clean up your calendar
google calendar tips and tricks feature

Spam is one of the many enemies of the internet, and Google has come up with a new way to tackle it -- at least on your calendar. The search engine giant recently tweaked how events show on Google Calendar so that you'll only be able to display events from senders you know.

With the change, you'll still get email event invitations from unknown senders, but they will only appear in your calendar after you accept. This means that only meetings from people in your same company domain, people in your contacts list, or people you've interacted with before will be added to your calendar automatically. Typically, these are usually trusted people who won't be sending you spam meetings that can mess with your calendar.

Read more
Google now lets you call people directly through the Gmail app
Close up of various Google app icons including Google, Gmail, and Maps.

Google has had a long history of making and giving up on chat apps -- see the infamous Killed by Google Twitter account for more details on the many victims. Now, the company seems to be trying again by adding voice and video calls to Gmail, one of its most popular apps. After integrating Google Meet, Google now gives you the capability to place voice and video calls via the Gmail app, and it will let you switch between chat to a video or audio call when needed.

Google has announced that you can now join meetings and audio calls in Google Chat within the Gmail app on Android and iOS. As of now, the feature is available for one-on-one chats, so a person can only connect with a single person at a time. Google aims to make it easier for office workers to connect with colleagues in the hybrid work world.

Read more
Update Google Chrome now to patch this critical security flaw
A MacBook with Google Chrome loaded.

You might want to update your Google Chrome web browser right away. Google recently issued a critical security update for Chrome, patching up 11 security issues, including two zero-day vulnerabilities that were exploited in the wild.

Released on September 13, Google first listed the patched vulnerabilities on the Chrome Releases blog. Full details are being withheld for security reasons, as Google wants a majority of users to update first.

Read more