All email accounts are under attack; there is little doubt about that. Gmail accounts, however, remain top of the list when it comes to hacker strikes for the simple reason that there are so many of them.
Secure your Gmail account now.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Cybercriminal hackers love nothing more than playing the numbers game, and with Google itself claiming 2.5 billion active Gmail users, that’s a significant target. No wonder, then, that worried users continue to reach out to online forums that their Gmail accounts have been hacked.
We’ve seen these AI-powered threats honed specifically against Gmail users, but there are ways to fight back, to prevent your Gmail account from being as susceptible to attack, but you need to act now. Here’s what you need to know and do.
Act Now — Mitigate Gmail Hack Attacks In 3 Simple Steps
Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go: there is no single silver security bullet that can provide a 100% guarantee that your Gmail account will be safe from a hack attack. Sorry, but there are way too many threat variables to give such an assurance, and anyone claiming to do so isn’t being straight with you. Which isn’t to say there aren’t methods that can help mitigate the risk of succumbing to cybercriminals. There are, in fact, three, and here are three that, in my experience, have a lot of success when it comes to the broad sweep of current Gmail attack threats.
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Cybersecurity
Secure Your Gmail Account From Hackers Now As Attacks Continue
ByDavey Winder, Senior Contributor. Davey Winder is a veteran cybersecurity writer, hacker and analyst.
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Jun 24, 2025, 10:30am EDT
Jun 25, 2025, 11:24am EDT
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The Gmail logo and banner displayed on a smartphone screen with the Google brand colors in background.
Secure your Gmail account now.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
All email accounts are under attack; there is little doubt about that. Gmail accounts, however, remain top of the list when it comes to hacker strikes for the simple reason that there are so many of them. Cybercriminal hackers love nothing more than playing the numbers game, and with Google itself claiming 2.5 billion active Gmail users, that’s a significant target. No wonder, then, that worried users continue to reach out to online forums that their Gmail accounts have been hacked. We’ve seen these AI-powered threats honed specifically against Gmail users, but there are ways to fight back, to prevent your Gmail account from being as susceptible to attack, but you need to act now. Here’s what you need to know and do.
Forbes
16 Billion Apple, Facebook, Google And Other Passwords Leaked
By Davey Winder
Act Now — Mitigate Gmail Hack Attacks In 3 Simple Steps
Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go: there is no single silver security bullet that can provide a 100% guarantee that your Gmail account will be safe from a hack attack. Sorry, but there are way too many threat variables to give such an assurance, and anyone claiming to do so isn’t being straight with you. Which isn’t to say there aren’t methods that can help mitigate the risk of succumbing to cybercriminals. There are, in fact, three, and here are three that, in my experience, have a lot of success when it comes to the broad sweep of current Gmail attack threats.
1. Replace your password with a passkey — and replace it right now.
Google has made it quite clear that the time to replace your Gmail password is now, and not with another password that leaves you open to the same old social engineering and credential stuffing threats. “We want to move beyond passwords altogether,” Google’s vice-president of privacy, safety and security, Evan Kotsovinos, said, “while keeping sign-ins as easy as possible.” There’s a good reason for that: Passkeys are highly phishing-resistant and can log you in using your face or fingerprint. Passkeys are actually composed of two keys, a public one on the company server and a private one on your device. The keys are randomly generated and never shared during the sign-in process, making them as close to hack-proof as possible. Which isn’t totally, no 100% guarantee, remember. However, you should act now and change your Google account password to a passkey. Here’s how: head to the security settings of your account, elect passkeys and follow the prompts. It really is as simple as that.
Subscribe
Sign In
0
Innovation
Cybersecurity
Secure Your Gmail Account From Hackers Now As Attacks Continue
ByDavey Winder, Senior Contributor. Davey Winder is a veteran cybersecurity writer, hacker and analyst.
Follow Author
Jun 24, 2025, 10:30am EDT
Jun 25, 2025, 11:24am EDT
Share
Save
Comment
0
The Gmail logo and banner displayed on a smartphone screen with the Google brand colors in background.
Secure your Gmail account now.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
All email accounts are under attack; there is little doubt about that. Gmail accounts, however, remain top of the list when it comes to hacker strikes for the simple reason that there are so many of them. Cybercriminal hackers love nothing more than playing the numbers game, and with Google itself claiming 2.5 billion active Gmail users, that’s a significant target. No wonder, then, that worried users continue to reach out to online forums that their Gmail accounts have been hacked. We’ve seen these AI-powered threats honed specifically against Gmail users, but there are ways to fight back, to prevent your Gmail account from being as susceptible to attack, but you need to act now. Here’s what you need to know and do.
Forbes
16 Billion Apple, Facebook, Google And Other Passwords Leaked
By Davey Winder
Act Now — Mitigate Gmail Hack Attacks In 3 Simple Steps
Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go: there is no single silver security bullet that can provide a 100% guarantee that your Gmail account will be safe from a hack attack. Sorry, but there are way too many threat variables to give such an assurance, and anyone claiming to do so isn’t being straight with you. Which isn’t to say there aren’t methods that can help mitigate the risk of succumbing to cybercriminals. There are, in fact, three, and here are three that, in my experience, have a lot of success when it comes to the broad sweep of current Gmail attack threats.
1. Replace your password with a passkey — and replace it right now.
Google has made it quite clear that the time to replace your Gmail password is now, and not with another password that leaves you open to the same old social engineering and credential stuffing threats. “We want to move beyond passwords altogether,” Google’s vice-president of privacy, safety and security, Evan Kotsovinos, said, “while keeping sign-ins as easy as possible.” There’s a good reason for that: Passkeys are highly phishing-resistant and can log you in using your face or fingerprint. Passkeys are actually composed of two keys, a public one on the company server and a private one on your device. The keys are randomly generated and never shared during the sign-in process, making them as close to hack-proof as possible. Which isn’t totally, no 100% guarantee, remember. However, you should act now and change your Google account password to a passkey. Here’s how: head to the security settings of your account, elect passkeys and follow the prompts. It really is as simple as that.
2. Sign up for Google’s Advanced Protection Program
My second Gmail account attack mitigation tip is to sign up for Google’s Advanced Protection Program, which effectively bundles multiple threat protections into one automatic and straightforward strategic plan. It’s totally free to use and, if you really want to have the best chance of keeping attackers out of your email account, highly recommended. Yes, I am signed up for it myself as I do eat my own cat food. Once a member of the APP, Google will block potentially harmful downloads, restrict most non-Google apps from accessing data from your Gmail account, and impose additional steps in the account recovery process to stop the most advanced hackers from taking control this way, as has become increasingly commonplace.
3. Take the Google Security Check
This step includes everything that I would have added to this article if the headline had said 10 steps instead of just three steps. The Google Security Checkup tool is really great at finding all the things you might have overlooked when it comes to Gmail security protections. Everything from two-factor authentication status to email forwarding activations and safe browsing controls is covered. If you haven’t run it for a while, or at all, then what are you waiting for?
Source: Forbes