If you use Gmail (I have several accounts), here’s some a major risk you should be aware of concerning your accounts. Google recently confirmed a massive data incident that could potentially affect up to 2.5 billion accounts. Before you panic—no, hackers didn’t break into your inbox and read your emails. But what happened is still serious enough to warrant a password change.
The situation started when cybercriminals tricked a Google employee into handing over access to a Salesforce database. This wasn’t Gmail itself being hacked, but the database contained contact details, email addresses, and other account information tied to Google services. Think of it as thieves stealing the “address book,” not the contents of your house.
So why should you care? Because that kind of info is gold for scammers. With your email address in hand, they can launch highly targeted phishing attacks (“click this link to reset your account”), fake tech support calls, or even messages that look like they’re straight from Google.
Here’s how you can protect yourself right now:
- Change your Gmail password to something strong and unique. I’ve talked about having strong passwords in previous articles (passwords discussed here and passkeys discussed here), so please make sure you have a Gmail password that you aren’t using anywhere else and cannot be cracked by scammers.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA). This means even if someone gets your password, they still can’t log in.
- Run Google’s Security Checkup. It walks you through reviewing devices, apps, and sign-ins connected to your account.
Gmail itself wasn’t broken into yet, but maybe we’ll learn more as time goes on. Hackers don’t need your actual emails to cause trouble—sometimes just having your contact info is enough. Staying one step ahead with fresh security habits keeps you safe.