Gmail for Android now features better phishing protection
Based on Google's Safe Browsing technology, the new ability will help immediately identify nasty links.
The popular word for the week appears to be phishing; first with the Google Docs snafu, and then with an update to the Gmail app that helps prevent phishing from happening in the first place.
The new phishing protection relies on the same technology that powers Google's Safe Browsing, which is utilized in apps like Google Chrome and the Play Store. Just as the many dialer apps will warn you about spam callers, Gmail will now alert you to suspicious links embedded in the body text of the email. When you open up the message, it will warn you explicitly of dubious links. It's the kind of thing that could really help those who aren't too privy to the connected world's many tricks.
Phishing attacks have become eerily specific and even somewhat passable lately, which is precisely why the Google Docs attack managed to run rampant in the first place. The attachments often arrived from a familiar email address, and offered interface prompts that were similar to the rest of the Android experience. This sort of thing wouldn't have protected it, however, since it doesn't appear to scan for attachments.
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