Not all issues regarding Gmail email can be laid at the door of the "hacker" no matter how you define them. Some are just red herrings, truth be told. For example, if emails are not arriving at Gmail inboxes, check your domain authentication protocols to ensure they meet Google's requirements. However, sad to say, Gmail accounts remain a prime target for attackers of all sorts and understanding the threat is key to getting a grip on mitigating it. Here's what you need to know about Gmail email account attacks and how to stop them as we head into 2025.

Don't click those links is a staple security protection offered by professionals advising users against age-old phishing tactics. The reason being that if you hover over a link before clicking it, then the genuine malicious destination URL will appear rather than the fake one the attacker is trying to trick you with. Here's the problem: Gmail hackers have worked out how to bypass this link protection by spoofing the link hover text. All that is required is some simple HTML coding, nothing advanced about this at all, which edits the mouseover text label which is displayed next to the link being hovered over while the actual URL is displayed elsewhere. When using a web client to access Gmail the real URL is displayed, in Chrome for example, at the bottom of the screen. Use a desktop or mobile app instead as these don't have the same URL positioning and can evade the nefarious tactic. "Gmail blocks more than 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts, and malware from reaching you," a Google spokesperson said, "As part of our AI-based protections, Gmail takes into account link obfuscation methods when classifying messages. Additionally, Gmail automatically scans attachments in sent and received messages for viruses."

The 10-second Gmail hack attack threat is actually way more common than you might think. This is mainly because, like so many hack attacks, it seeks to advantage of you during a moment of weakness. Let me explain by way of a little experiment I carried out by posting a message asking for help with being locked out of my Gmail account on X, although it could might as well have been to any online forum as the response would be the same. Lots of replies offering help, starting within 10 seconds of posting, and none of them at all helpful; just the opposite, in fact. Email security bots opened the "contact someone@somewhere to get your account access back" floodgates. The common denominator here is that they will all use the situation to relieve you of money for doing nothing or exploit your email security anxiety to get you to hand over your account credentials. Only ever turn to Google itself for advice in getting your account access back, which you can do safely starting here.

AI deepfakes are increasingly being used as part, a primary part, of Gmail account takeover attacks. Check out my viral story, viewed by more than 2 million people so far, recounting one such attack against a security consultant. The super realistic AI scam call sought to persuade the user that his Gmail account was under attack and someone was trying to change his account credentials. If a security consultant can almost get caught by this tactic, so can you. The TL;DR account is that a notification requesting a Google account recovery approval was received, followed by a missed phone call. Seven days later another such notification and call were made, but this time the telephone was answered. A convincing conversation from what appeared to be a genuine Google number and real support technician followed. But it was all being generated by generative AI. Stay calm if you are approached by someone claiming to be from Google support; they won't phone you and so no harm will come to you if you hang up. Check your Gmail activity to see what, if any, devices other than your own have been using the account.

The theft of cookies from your browser, specifically session cookies, enables hackers to bypass your 2FA protections effectively. Owning a cookie that validates a user session after the 2FA step has already been completed gives the attacker complete control over that session -- complete control to go and change your Gmail recovery options, 2FA, everything. "Google research has shown that security keys provide a stronger protection against automated bots, bulk phishing attacks, and targeted attacks than SMS, app-based one-time passwords, and other forms of traditional two-factor authentication," a Google spokesperson said. I'd recommend switching to a Google passkey to access your Gmail account for this very reason.