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Google Chat Now Warns You About Suspicious Links

Google Drive and Gmail have similar warnings.

Zachary McAuliffe Staff writer
Zach began writing for CNET in November, 2021 after writing for a broadcast news station in his hometown, Cincinnati, for five years. You can usually find him reading and drinking coffee or watching a TV series with his wife and their dog.
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Zachary McAuliffe
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Google Chat will now try to keep you safe from malicious actors.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Not sure if that chat message is legit or not? Google has your back. Google Chat will start showing a warning banner under messages that might contain phishing links or malware downloads, according to a blog post by Google

Phishing scams can lock you out of your device or result in identity theft. Malware attacks, which include ransomware attacks, are becoming more frequent, more successful and more expensive.

Google wrote that the warning banners "help protect users against malicious actors, keeping data safe."

The banner appears at the bottom of the message in red and says "This invite is suspicious." You can block whoever sent you the message, or you can accept the message.

Red warning banners are displayed at the bottom of Google Chat's web and mobile apps

A detailed look at Google Chat's warning banner.

CNET/ Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe

This feature is available to people with personal and business Google accounts, and Google said the feature is activated by default. These warning banners will be shown on the mobile and web versions of Google Chat in the coming days.

Google Drive and Gmail already show similar warning banners for suspicious activity.

Cybersecurity experts have said that the influx of people working from home presents more targets to malicious online actors. At home, you might have less access to software that scans files and warns you ahead of time. Google Chat's warning banners could help stop you from falling victim to one of these attacks.

For more, check out how to secure your email, how to protect your home office privacy with a VPN and five cybersecurity tips small businesses should know.