Google’s New Policy: Act Now Before Your Gmail and Photo Content Disappears in 24 Hours

Why Google is Erasing Your Gmail and Photos Material

Security professionals are sounding the alarm on Google’s recent decision to start deleting old Gmail and Photos content and why it is important for users to take action to protect their data.

Google will begin erasing inactive Google accounts on December 1, which includes deleting Gmail, Photos, Docs, and Drive content. With 1.8 billion Gmail users and millions more using Google Photos, this decision will have a major impact on many people. It is essential for everyone to check their accounts as soon as possible to ensure their data is not lost. Google claims that user security is behind this move, but it has left many users concerned. I asked security experts for their insights into this situation.

Google has already started sending out warning emails to affected users.

The Gmail And Photos Deletion Security Conundrum

Google’s vice president of product management Ruth Kricheli has stated that inactive accounts are “likely to be compromised” by malicious actors. One reason is that they are “10x less likely than active accounts” to use two-factor authentication, a highly effective account compromise defense tool.

Elliott Wilkes, chief technology officer at Advanced Cyber Defence Systems, highlights the various risk factors associated with old and inactive accounts. “It is widely known within the cybersecurity community (and within cybercriminal communities) that users share passwords across accounts,” Wilkes explains. “When one site is compromised and experiences a data breach, attackers obtain the leaked usernames, emails, and password combinations and then attempt to use them for other sites.” This poses a significant risk, particularly for compromised Gmail accounts. “Email is used as an identifier across the web,” Wilkes says, “so clever cybercriminals can use this to impersonate you and reset other account passwords using your email.”

Account Connections Pose Security Threat

Jamie Akhtar, CEO at Cybersmart, agrees with these concerns and warns that “The risks associated with inactive Google accounts are substantial. If the account is connected to other Google services such as YouTube, Google Drive, or Google Photos, a hacker can easily access, abuse, or hold that content/data for ransom. Even worse still, if the account is connected to financial services like Google Pay, you could be left seriously out of pocket.”

Non-active Often Means Unobserved, And That’s A Security Red Flag

Another concerning aspect of inactive accounts is that they often go unnoticed. “Since they aren’t actively used, any unauthorized activity can go undetected,” Javvad Malik,

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