A new Google Docs phishing scam just reared its head a few hours ago, and it’s spreading like wildfire. Google appears to be taking action to stop it, but in the mean time: be super, super wary of Google Doc invites for now.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Clicking the link takes you to a real Google-hosted page, with a list of your Google accounts ready to click
- It asks you to select an account and provide an app called “Google Docs” — yes, they were somehow allowed to name a third party app “Google Docs” — with the necessary permissions
- As soon as you click the “allow” button, this not-at-all-actually Google Docs app now has permission to read your emails and email all your contacts…. the latter of which it’ll start doing pretty much immediately, spreading the bait to pretty much everyone you’ve ever emailed.
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This one is super sneaky; pretty much the only way to detect it before falling for it is to click the small “Google Docs” link on the actual Google-hosted page and notice that the developer info seems… off.
Zach Latta of Hack Club grabbed a video of the whole flow so you don’t have to test fate to see it for yourself:
How do I know if I’ve been hit? How do I fix it?
Check your Google account’s app permissions. There should not be an app called “Google Docs” there — actual Google Docs has access to your account by default. If you see it listed there, remove it by tapping the label and hitting “Remove”
Story developing…
