Recently, many warnings regarding Google telling all of its users to change their Gmail passwords due to a breach surfaced. “2.5 billion Gmail users should change passwords,” the headlines warned, saying Google has issued an emergency alert to all its users.

Even though Google and Gmail are targeted by scammers, claims of such of an emergency alert are “entirely false,” the tech giant said, adding that Gmail’s protections are strong and effective. Reacting to several recent reports which claimed that it sent out a widespread security notification about Gmail to 2.5 billion users, Google called them "entirely false".

"We want to reassure our users that Gmail’s protections are strong and effective. Several inaccurate claims surfaced recently that incorrectly stated that we issued a broad warning to all Gmail users about a major Gmail security issue. This is entirely false," Google said in a blog post.

Google further noted that phishers are always looking out for ways to infiltrate inboxes, the company's protections "continue to block more than 99.9% of phishing and malware attempts from reaching users".

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"Security is such an important item for all companies, all customers, all users — we take this work incredibly seriously. Our teams invest heavily, innovate constantly, and communicate clearly about the risks and protections we have in place. It’s crucial that conversation in this space is accurate and factual," the statement added.

As best practices for additional protection, we encourage users to use a secure password alternative like Passkeys, and to follow these best practices to spot and report phishing attacks, Google said.

Gmail users' data compromised?

Last week, multiple reports claimed that Google issued a critical security alert impacting its 2.5 billion Gmail users worldwide. This warning, one of the largest in recent years, comes after a report by cybersecurity firm Trend Micro said that following a comprehensive analysis of the breach, Google began notifying affected users on August 8.

The breach traces back to Salesforce, whose systems were compromised by the hacker group known as ShinyHunters (also tracked as UNC6040). Attackers obtained business-related Gmail data, including contact lists, company associations, and email metadata.

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In June, cyber criminals known as Shiny Hunters breached Google's Salesforce database that stores and manages customer data for small and medium-sized businesses. The tech giant said the breach did not compromise other products, such as Gmail or Google Drive, and no passwords or financial data were exposed.

Recently, multiple reports warned that all Gmail users should reset their passwords immediately in light of the hack. Heightening the alarm are scams targeting Gmail users, where fraudsters pose as security officials and exploit the news of the breach. These scammers attempt to deceive people into believing their accounts are at risk, urging them to change their passwords either over the phone or through malicious links.

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What's the truth?

Earlier, it was reported that Google warned Gmail users to update their passwords and strengthen their account security as password hackers have carried out a significant amount of “successful intrusions.” Reports suggested that Google advised roughly 2.5 billion Gmail users to be on high alert for suspicious activity and add extra security measures, like two-factor authentication owing to the security breach.

Google, however, said that the reminder to update passwords was not indicative of “a major Gmail security issue.” The reminder to update passwords was routine and “Gmail’s protections are strong and effective,” Google said.

However, the tech firm advised customers to ramp up their security measures after a breach of its own Salesforce database, according to New York Post.