Google has rolled out new Gmail security features aimed at protecting businesses from hackers, time-wasting spam, and leaking of sensitive company data.
New Anti-Phishing Measures Combat Ransomware
Google has used its enormous machine learning capacity to tweak its spam and anti-phishing measures to the point where it now can report 99.9% accuracy in detecting both spam and a phishing email, which is designed to grab sensitive information such as passwords. With the recent Wannacry and other ransomware attacks in the news where hackers obtain information primarily via phishing emails, this behind-the-scenes tweak by Google shouldn’t halt any anti-phishing staff training, but it will ensure that they will have to deal with less immediate threats. And, when they do come up, they will receive clear warnings before visiting any suspect websites.
As part of its anti-phishing measures, Google will now hold onto suspect messages a bit longer in order to run them through a more rigorous process before they end up in your employee’s inboxes.
Google’s machine learning will also evolve over time to get even better at detecting phishing and spam messages. If, for example, a hacker is targeting your organization with an email volley over a sustained period, Google will get faster and better at detecting these messages.
Once a phish email is detected, if your users try to click on the link in the email Google will generate a “click time warning” - pictured below - which will warn them that the site they are about to visit is suspect.
Measures to Prevent Emailing Sensitive Company Data
All business Gmail users will now receive warnings when sending emails outside of your organization if the email contains what Google’s machine learning perceives as being sensitive company data. Because of the contextual intelligence used in Gmail, you won’t receive these warnings for people you email regularly, making the process more seamless for your workflow.
This is a more basic protection than the advanced email filters our G Suite Enterprise users can set up in order to lock down emails from specific departments or people, which Google calls Data Loss Prevention. These advanced filters extend beyond Gmail to Google Drive and much more.
If you aren’t yet a G Suite Enterprise client and want to upgrade to take advantage of Data Loss Prevention, contact UpCurve Cloud to get started. We also handle new G Suite installations and ensure your company’s transition from your current solution is a seamless one.
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