Google Says Claims of Mass Gmail Security Breach Are "Entirely False"

"The story starts back in June, when Google reported that a hacking group called UNC6040 was using voice phishing campaigns to trick people into granting access to one of its internal Salesforce instances. Some victims were then followed up with a few weeks or months later, when the attackers, claiming they were from the hacking group ShinyHunters, would demand payment via Bitcoin. Google also found evidence that they could be preparing to leak the stolen company data."

"While Google had notified all affected businesses by August 8, some curious headlines began to emerge in the weeks that followed. The basis of these stories was that an emergency warning had been issued to all Gmail users, urging them to change their passwords because their accounts were at risk of compromise following the UNC6040 breach. Many of the reports assumed that hackers were using the stolen business information to craft phishing or social engineering attacks on Gmail users."

Google denied reports that it alerted all Gmail users to a security breach or requested mass password resets, stating Gmail protections remain strong and effective. The incident began in June when hacking group UNC6040 used voice phishing to gain access to an internal Salesforce instance. Some victims were later contacted by attackers posing as ShinyHunters who demanded Bitcoin and threatened data leaks. Google confirmed it was affected in June but said attackers obtained only basic, largely public business information such as names and contact details. Google notified affected businesses by August 8 and called claims of a broad Gmail warning false.

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