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The management of the Cyber Security Authority of Ghana (CSA) today Monday disclosed Google has cautioned the users of Gmail and YouTube against the recent emerging phishing attack that poses a threat to the users patronizing the services of the platforms.
A statement from the CSA said the hackers use ‘attack vectors’ to harvest the personal and sensitive data of unsuspecting individuals to perpetuate other malicious activities. On the modus operandi of the Gmail account phishing attack, the management disclosed the attackers are impersonating Google’s brand to send fake emails or pop-ups beginning with the subject line “Online Reward Program”.
They noted users who open emails or pop-ups are presented with the message “Congratulations You are a lucky Google user “Every 10 millionth search is reached worldwide; we will proclaim a lucky user to send out a thank-you gift. You are the lucky user.”
The message then requires users to click on a specific link to redeem their prize by entering their personal information, which is then harvested.
For YouTube Phishing Attacks, attackers are said to be impersonating YouTube channels to send fraudulent emails to unsuspecting users.
The emails, CSA said are sent from accounts using subject lines such as “YouTube policy change” and “The YouTube team sent you a video” and the email contains a link to the video or an attachment that leads to a fake login page where personal information is harvested or may contain malware.
According to the CSA, Google does not offer spontaneous prizes in the format described and does not reply with personal information as well as does not reply to or click on any link or attachment from an unsolicited sender.
The public is urged to verify any reward programmes via mainstream media outlets such as newspapers and websites before assuming they are true and be cautious of messages that create a sense of urgency or fear, prompting you to take immediate action or risk losing access to your account or any other offer.
The victims are encouraged to report the incident or attacks to the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Incident Reporting Points of Contact (PoC) for reporting cybercrimes and seeking guidance and assistance on online activities.
