Google denies that it issued major security warning to Gmail users

Google recently came out and publicly rejected what it describes as “inaccurate claims” that the company sent out a “broad warning to all Gmail users about a major Gmail security issue.” In the statement, Google categorically denies it as “entirely false.”

It’s a bit vague and doesn’t explicitly point to any specific claim, but the announcement most likely refers to notifications sent to users impacted by a Google Salesforce database breach in June. The incident went viral, with headlines claiming that Google sent out sweeping notifications to all Gmail users about an increased prevalence of phishing attacks.

According to Google, Gmail has strong protections in place that stop over 99.9 percent of all phishing and malware attempts before they reach users, the Gmail developers are always innovating, and the Gmail team strives to communicate clearly about risks and protections.

“Security is such an important item for all companies, all customers, all users—we take this work incredibly seriously. Our teams invest heavily, innovate constantly, and communicate clearly about the risks and protections we have in place. It’s crucial that conversation in this space is accurate and factual,” Google writes.

Google ends the announcement with the following best practices for Gmail users: use a secure password alternative like passkeys and learn how to spot phishing attacks.

This announcement comes in the wake of last month’s Gmail security incident that affected up to 2.5 billion Gmail users.