What Is Google Critical Security Alert and What To Do About It

Many services provide us with security alerts whenever suspicious activity occurs on our accounts. Most notifications stem from intentional actions carried out by authorized individuals, but sometimes a warning warrants further investigation. Other times, an alert may not even be real. Let’s discuss the Google critical security alert and what you should do if you receive it.

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What is Google’s critical security alert?

Google’s critical security alerts let you know when certain actions occur on your account, such as new device sign-ins, an unusual number of emails sent, and other suspicious activities. Harmless actions on your part can trigger these notifications, but so can actual fraud attempts.

Google usually sends critical security alerts by email to notify you of new device logins, and most notifications don’t require further action. You may, however, receive a more serious message reporting a suspicious sign-in attempt that Google has blocked. Signing in from a new device or location could trigger the alert, and you should always investigate any reports of suspicious account activity.

What to do if you receive a Google critical security alert

If you receive a Google critical security alert, you should first check to see if the email is legitimate. Once you confirm authenticity, you should try to identify what triggered the notification. Considering your recent actions and checking account activity will help you understand the reason for the alert.

Here’s what to do after receiving a Google critical security alert:

1. Go to the Googlerecent security activity page

2. Check each recent alert — focusing on device and location information — and attempt to identify any suspicious activity

3. If you detect an unauthorized sign-in attempt, click See unfamiliar activity? at the top of the page to change your password and sign out of all devices

In most cases, the timing of the alert will correspond with a legitimate activity listed in your notifications. If no events connect to the message you received, the email could be fake.

Have you heard of the Google critical security alert scam that aims to trick victims with fraudulent emails and malicious links? Do you know how to spot a fake? Next we’ll examine the Google critical security alert scam and discuss how you can avoid falling victim.

Google critical security alert scam

While Google’s alerts are great for notifying users about suspicious activity, not all account security emails are legitimate. Scammers understand that mimicking real warnings is a great way to trick victims into clicking malicious links and handing over private information, including login credentials.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Report lists phishing as the number one cybercrime of 2020. With so many phishers attempting to hook victims, making fraudulent emails appear as legitimate as possible is important. Google itself states that hackers may try to replicate its security alerts in order to steal account information.

How can you stay safe online and avoid falling into a scammer’s trap? Let’s find out.

How to tell if a critical security alert is a scam

The simplest way to identify a fake security alert is to check your recent Google account activity. If no notification matches the timing of the message you received, the email could be fake. To avoid complications, you should never open any links until you’ve confirmed authenticity.

If, after analyzing your account, you’re still unsure about the alert’s legitimacy, you can check the email itself for signs of forgery. Legitimate messages will always come from a .google.com domain, and a suspicious email address could indicate a phishing attempt. However, hackers will sometimes spoof an email address to make the message appear as though it came from a legitimate source.

If you understand how to read headers, you can analyze the email further in order to identify any anomalies. Here’s how to show headers in Gmail:

1. Go to Gmail and open the message you want to inspect

2. Click the More button and select Show original

Certain information within the headers, such as Return-Path, can help you determine authenticity. For example, a return path that doesn’t lead to a Google domain could indicate that the email came from another source.

What to do if you got scammed by a critical security alert

If you fall for a fake Google critical security alert email, you can take steps to mitigate the damage. First, you should immediately change the passwords of any compromised accounts using a different device. If you provided any credit card details, you should cancel the relevant cards.

Opening a fraudulent link could also install malware on your device. Therefore, you should scan for and remove any malicious software downloaded during the scam.

How to avoid the Google critical security alert scam

While phishing attempts are common, avoiding them is relatively easy once you know how. With a little knowledge and the right tools, you can spot a scam before it happens and avoid becoming another statistic.

Check all emails for signs of a phishing attempt

Here are some tips for identifying phishing emails and avoiding the Google critical security alert scam:

• Never open highly suspicious emails
• Check all email sender addresses
• Inspect links before clicking
• Never click any suspicious links
• Analyze email headers for signs of forgery
• Use security software

Use Malware Evader in the VeePN browser extension

Sometimes suspicious activity is difficult to spot, but a good browser extension can help identify malware before it infects your device. The Malware Evader tool included in VeePN’s Chrome extension blocks access to known phishing sites and other domains that contain malicious software.

Here’s how you can use VeePN to identify suspicious links:

1. Sign up for VeePN and install the extension for your browser
2. Launch the extension and go to the menu at the top-left corner

3. Go to Settings

4. Scroll down to Malware Evader and toggle it on

VeePN spots the scams so you don’t have to. On top of that, the extension includes an ad blocker, tracker blocking, and other security tools.

Learn how to recognize fake security alerts

Knowledge is one of our greatest defenses against scammers. Once we know the tricks they play, catching us in their traps becomes much more difficult. With that said, even the most tech-savvy among us can falter, and combining knowledge with good security tools is critical to online safety.