Many of us rely on Google Calendar for scheduling, reminders, and staying organized in our personal lives. Unfortunately, cybercriminals have discovered a clever method to exploit this popular tool: phishing through Google Calendar invites.
It starts with an email that looks almost identical to a genuine Google Calendar notification. It might be an invitation to a meeting or an event, seemingly from someone you know or a trusted brand. The catch? These invites contain malicious links. Clicking on them can lead you to fake websites designed to steal your personal information, including login credentials and even financial details.
The attackers are getting cleverer, disguising these malicious links within Google Forms or Drawings to bypass email security filters. Once you're on their hook, they might trick you into "authenticating" yourself on a fake page, ultimately leading to financial scams and unauthorized transactions.
What can you do to protect yourself?
- Enable "known senders" in Google Calendar: This setting will alert you when receiving invites from people not in your contacts or with whom you haven't interacted before
- Be wary of unexpected invites: Always double-check invites from unknown senders or for events you weren't expecting or enrolled
- Hover over links before clicking: See if the URL looks legitimate and matches what you'd expect from Google Calendar
- Stay vigilant and report suspicious activity: If you encounter a suspicious invite, report it to Google and be sure to warn your friends and family
#ALTACyber
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Genady Vishnevetsky
Chief Info Security Officer
Stewart Title Guaranty Company
Houston TX
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