Warning to all 1.8 million Gmail users over 'blue checkmark' hacking scam trends now
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It's only been a month since Google's Gmail offered its version of 'blue checkmark' verified accounts in Twitter's style, and hackers are already exploiting it.
Google launched the verification feature, which sits next to the sender's name, to assure readers that emails are trustworthy.
Scammers have found a workaround to obtain the coveted mark, allowing them to craft fake addresses from famous brands and potentially dupe users into providing credentials or payments.
Cybersecurity claim Google was made aware of the flaw, shortly after it was identified but 'ignored the issue.'
The new hack uses Gmail's existing 'Brand Indicators for Message Identification' (BIMI) feature, based on their new 'blue checkmark' system. Scammers are exploiting the weakness to create, but 'verified' fake addresses from famous brands like global shipper UPS
'I submitted a bug which @google lazily closed as 'won't fix - intended behavior,' cybersecurity engineer Chris Plummer, tweeted.
'How is a scammer impersonating @UPS in such a
