Google denied claims that it suffered a security breach Oct. 27 after published reports warned Gmail users to check their accounts because millions of passwords were allegedly stolen.
“Reports of a ‘Gmail security breach impacting millions of users’ are false,” Google stated on X. “Gmail’s defenses are strong, and users remain protected.”
Australian cyber expert Troy Hunt was the first to claim the breach included 3.5 terabytes of data Oct. 24.
Hunt said 183 million email accounts were compromised by “infostealers,” a malware designed to collect sensitive data and passwords. The stolen information is passed to hackers, who use it for phishing campaigns and scams, or it is sold online, Hunt stated.
According to Google, the inaccurate reports stemmed from a misunderstanding of infostealer databases, which compile theft activity across the web.
“It’s not reflective of a new attack aimed at any one person, tool, or platform,” Google stated.
Users can protect themselves from password theft by turning on two-factor authentication and adopting passkeys as a “stronger and safer alternative to passwords,” according to the company.
Passwords can also be reset if they are found in large batch breaches, Google said.
“Gmail takes action when we spot large batches of open credentials, helping users reset passwords and resecure accounts,” the company stated.
Gmail has about 2.5 billion active users daily, or about 31 percent of the global population, according to Clean Email, an email management application.
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