Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The FBI has issued a new advisory urging Gmail users to consider changing their email addresses starting in 2025. This recommendation comes in response to a significant surge in cybercrime and phishing attacks targeting users including Gmail.
According to Forbes, the FBI has issued a new campaign warning email users more aware, particularly those on platforms like Gmail, as cybercrime threats continue to surge. Despite Google blocking over 99.9% of phishing and malware attempts targeting Gmail’s users, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is making cyberattacks more sophisticated and harder to detect.
Amounting 2.5 billion users, Google has integrated AI technologies, including large language models (LLM), to strengthen its Gmail security systems. These models are designed to swiftly identify and eliminate phishing emails, malware, and spam. However, cybercriminals are also leveraging AI to create increasingly convincing scams that mimic legitimate communications.
Cybersecurity firm McAfee has highlighted the dual-edged nature of AI in the fight against cybercrime. While AI allows platforms like Gmail to detect spam 20% more effectively and process exponentially larger volumes of spam reports daily, it also empowers cybercriminals to craft highly personalized and convincing phishing attacks.
“With AI becoming more accessible, cybercriminals are using it to create scams that are harder to detect, more personalized, and increasingly convincing,” McAfee stated, as reported by CNBC Indonesia.
Alternative Solutions for Email Security
Experts agree that relying solely on AI defenses isn’t sufficient. They recommend more robust measures, such as clear labeling of suspicious emails as ‘spam’ or ‘dangerous,’ to better protect users from falling victim to scams.
One effective strategy is to minimize the public exposure of primary email addresses. Apple has already introduced its ‘Hide My Email’ feature, which allows users to create unique, randomized email addresses that forward messages to their primary accounts.
“To keep your personal email private, you can generate unique, random email addresses that forward messages to your main account. This reduces the risk of exposing your primary email address when filling out forms or subscribing to newsletters,” Apple explained.
In November, Google began developing a similar feature for Gmail called ‘Shielded Email.’ This feature allows users to create temporary or limited-use email aliases, which forward messages to their primary accounts without revealing their main email addresses.
Google has also issued a new password security rules aimed at enhancing the safety of email service, starting from September 30. Google will no longer support access to account data from apps that are considered less secure, including third party apps or devices that only use basic login credentials like a username and password.
Read : New Security Measures for Gmail Third Party Apps, Users Asked to Switch to Secure Method
Therefore, according to Forbes, cybersecurity experts recommend enabling these features as soon as they become available. Both Apple and Google’s email privacy tools offer significant protection against phishing and other cyber threats.
As cybercriminals continue to refine their tactics, vigilance and proactive measures will remain essential for safeguarding personal information online. For Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook users, adopting these enhanced security practices could mean the difference between safety and vulnerability in an increasingly treacherous digital landscape.
(Raidi/Agung)
