Google’s Gmail is actually really good at spam filtering to remove unwanted messages from the inbox, however a number of Gmail users have reported that earlier today most of their inboxes were flooded with ads that were sent from their own Email accounts. Many users posted in the Google’s forum, some examples include.
“My email account has sent out 3 spam emails in the past hour to a list of about 10 addresses that I don’t recognize,” read an April 21 post to a Google Help Forum. “I changed my password immediately after the first one, but then it happened again 2 more times.”
“The subject of the emails is weight loss and growth supplements for men advertisements,” read the same Google Help Forum post. “I have reported them as spam. Please help, what else can I do to ensure my account isn’t compromised??”
A spokesperson from Google has said that the issue relating to the spam emails is affecting a small number of users. In a statement given to Mashable.
We are aware of a spam campaign impacting a small subset of Gmail users and have actively taken measures to protect against it. This attempt involved forged email headers that made it appear as if users were receiving emails from themselves, which also led to those messages erroneously appearing in the Sent folder. We have identified and are reclassifying all offending emails as spam, and have no reason to believe any accounts were compromised as part of this incident. If you happen to notice a suspicious email, we encourage you to report it as spam. More information on how to report spam can be found by visiting our Help center.
The users also reported that their accounts were secured with two-factor authentication. The Spammers used forged email header to make them appear as though they came from their own account using the networks of a Canadian Telecommunications company called Telus. The Spammers made sure they got through Google’s spam filter by using the same user account. Gmail has notified the affected users.
The Google spokesperson has also mentioned that all the affected users received the active measures to protect against this threat and the company is also working with the vendors to solve the problem.
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