Important Security Alert: New Phishing Technique Targeting AI Email Summaries
Dear Team,
We want to bring your urgent attention to a new and sophisticated phishing technique that could potentially affect our email security, especially for those using AI email summarization tools like Google Gemini for Workspace.
What you need to know:
Cybercriminals are now embedding hidden, invisible instructions within seemingly harmless emails. If you use an AI assistant to summarize such an email, the AI could inadvertently generate a fake security alert (e.g., a warning about a compromised password, or a request to call a support number) as part of its summary.
This is particularly deceptive because the alert appears to come from your trusted AI assistant, making it seem legitimate, and these malicious emails often bypass traditional security filters.
What you MUST do:
Be Extremely Skeptical: Treat any security alert, password change request, or urgent call-to-action that appears within an AI-generated email summary with extreme caution.
Verify Directly: If you see any such alert, DO NOT click links or call numbers provided within the AI summary. Instead, navigate directly to the service (e.g., your Google account settings) or contact our IT Support through known, official channels only to verify the information.
Avoid Summarizing Suspicious Emails: If an email feels unexpected or suspicious, refrain from using the AI summarization feature on it.
Stay Vigilant: Continue to apply all our standard phishing awareness practices. Always double-check sender authenticity and the legitimacy of any request, regardless of where it appears to originate.
Your vigilance is our first line of defense. If you encounter anything suspicious or have any questions, please contact the IT Help Desk immediately.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our organization secure.
Best regards,
IT Team