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1 Million+ Google Accounts Compromised by New Gooligan Malware - Are You Breached?



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1 Million+ Google Accounts Compromised by New Gooligan Malware - Are You Breached?

New reports are coming to light of a new malware that has been dubbed "Gooligan" which has reported to have breached over 1,000,000+ Google accounts.

There is said to be over 13,000 new breaches or "victims" that are being breached every new day says a report by IT security organization "Check Point".

The breach is made possible through Android smartphones once again and it works by stealing authentication tokens which are set by services like Google Play, Gmail, Google Docs etc.

The breaches are made possible by people who unknowingly download legit apps from 3rd party Google Play Store writes CNN Money who have created a list of potentially infected apps.

The Gooligan breach has infected all Android devices that are running Android 4 and 5 of which, makes up around 75% of all devices on the market says Check Point.

It's not know where the Gooligan originated from as of yet, but Check Point are working along side Google to find out.

For people worried whether their Google account has been compromised or not, Check Point have created a site that lets you easily find out.

https://gooligan.checkpoint.com/

Just enter your Google accounts email address and it will tell you in a few seconds whether or not your account was one that was breached.

If it says: YOUR ACCOUNT WAS NOT BREACHED. Then you're good!
It if says: YOUR ACCOUNT WAS BREACHED. Then you're not good!

If it turns out you have, there are cleaning steps that they have recommended that you do such as formatting your computer and doing a fresh Windows install.

And then of course, changing your Google password and possibly even making changes to your accounts other security features too.

This new Google data breach highlights how important it is to download apps only from official Google certified app stores like the Google Play Store.

That is advice that a lot of people tend to ignore. Mainly because these other 3rd party app sites often have free versions or "clones" of apps that they would otherwise have to pay for.

How the Gooligan Malware Works

1 Million+ Google Accounts Compromised by New Gooligan Malware - Are You Breached?
Image: More Than 1 Million Google Accounts Breached by Gooligan.

This follows after several malware attacks this year. And it wont be the last. These attacks are becoming ever more increasingly sophisticated as they learn more and more about the phones weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

And it just goes to show how you can't trust these 3rd party app sites and how you should only ever download apps from the official app store site only.

Accessing your Google account is a big issue because for most people, their Google account is connected to everything they do online and most people create accounts on other websites using their Google / Gmail account.

If a hacker was to gain access to your Gmail account, they could essentially reset your password on other sites and gain access to that site that way.

So let this be a heads up to you and learn from other peoples mistakes!

It's the smartest way of protecting yourself in this bright and dark digital age.

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Lynne
Oh man that is scary isn't it? More than 1 million Google accounts? That is not a small number!

Anyway I went and checked my account so fast...and I am safe phew!

Yeah you are so right about Google accounts, it is so convenient and easy to have it because you can access everything online... but once someone gets hold of your Google password... oh man I shiver to think about what could happen!

I don't really download much at all, not to my laptop or my mobile phone so I am probably safer than most people.

Thanks for these great tips Mike, I really appreciate it!
1 Million+ Google Accounts Compromised by New Gooligan Malware - Are You Breached?



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CryptoGuru
This is the breach of the year for Google they don't really have alot of problems. People really don't pay attention to security as far as them compromising themselves. They go crazy downloading anti virus and ant malware software. Some people goes as far as putting firewalls in and WIFI monitoring software. These are all security features that protect you from an outside attack. Viruses and Malware have a hard time getting through these things What people don't realize though is that they can infect themselves and open the door to all types of things. If you download something that is designed to steal your information you give the key to your security door away. This use to be only possible with computers but now that technology has come such a long way now phones can be infected as well. Apple has a strict policy on who ius able to make apps and upload them to Itunes. Google is a little more lenient and often times hackers and criminals can use the store to steal your information. Good topic Mike this is awesome i love internet security its my second passion other than crypto currency.



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Cristian
Wow thanks or the info Mike, very helpful! I wasn't hacked thank God!
I'm using Android 6 so I'm in the clear either way I think, but nevertheless, this is some scary stuff! I have pretty much everything on my Gmail, every bank account, paypal, everything. I do have additional protection feature turned on , like phone verification.

I only download apps from the Google Play official app even though in the past I used to download apps from torrent websites because I didn't want to pay a couple of bucks for paid apps, was pretty stupid of me and I stop doing it a long time ago.



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Corzhens
Gee, a malware hitting Google users? If it is true that the Gooligan malware had hit a million Google accounts, I wonder why it was not published in the mainstream media. But to think that pesky malware had affected a million accounts, that is not a thing to be ignored. Google should do something about it. And if it comes from the playstore, that would be a disaster indeed.



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jaymish2
Loads and loads of hacking going on these days. Crime has been transferred from the streets to online. It has made it easier for evil to operate . If only they could use the same street smarts to start businesses and create jobs. Remember the Facebook hack that was very scary. The best thing about Google these days is that they have found a way to improve their security and if someone logs into your account from a different location, they send a message to your phone.



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