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#Gmail hacker 2013 password#
But it emphasized that the password thefts were not the result of a general security problem with Gmail. The company recommended that Gmail users take additional security steps, like using a Google service known as two-step verification, to make it more difficult to compromise their e-mail accounts. Executives at Google declined to comment beyond the blog post. The company said it had “disrupted” the campaign and had notified the victims as well as government agencies. Google said that once the intruders had logged into the accounts, they could change settings for mail forwarding so that copies of messages would be sent to another address. But Google’s announcement was unusual in that it put a spotlight on the scale, apparent origins and carefully selected targets of a coordinated campaign to hijack e-mail accounts. The more recent attacks were not as technically advanced, relying on a common technique known as phishing to trick users into handing over their passwords. As a result, Google decided to base its Chinese search engine in Hong Kong. The accusation led to a rupture of the company’s relationship with China and a decision by Google not to cooperate with China’s censorship demands. Last year, Google said it had traced a sophisticated invasion of its computer systems to people based in China. On Thursday, the Chinese government rejected suggestions that it was linked to the attack. Its latest announcement is likely to further ratchet up the tension between the company and Chinese authorities. It is the second time Google has pointed to an area of China as the source of an Internet intrusion. In a blog post, the company said the victims included senior government officials in the United States, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries, military personnel and journalists. SAN FRANCISCO - Google said Wednesday that hundreds of users of Gmail, its e-mail service, had been the targets of clandestine attacks apparently originating in China that were aimed at stealing their passwords and monitoring their e-mail.