Google office collaboration tools doc’s sheets slides and drawings will now show a warning banner when you open potentially malicious files from the web the search giant has declared. This banner already appears when dodgy files are accessed from within the drive as well as from doubtful links within separate docs, sheets, slides, and drawings files. The broader rollout should help protect users in a wider range of situations. Confusingly Google January 20th announcement post said that the banner already appeared when opening Google docs, sheets, slides, drawings, and links. However, the agency tells us this was a typo and that it should instead say that the banner appears in links from Google docs, sheets, slides, and drawings files. The warning banners appear to be an attempt to combat scams that use Google’s office as a veneer of dependability around dodgy links and phishing attempts. In 2020 wired reported on a wave of scams that were using Google’s different sharing and collaboration attributes to get their malicious files in front of unsuspicious users. Clicking a link in one of these documents sends a user to a site filled with dodgy ads or a typical phishing site asking them to enter bank or other account details. Google’s declaration says that the latest warning banner is rolling out over the next couple of weeks to all accounts businesses and personal alike.
Read More: Google contractors say a recruiting company has been systematically skimming their pay
