Google issues urgent alert, 2.5 billion Gmail users told to change passwords immediately

01-Sep-2025

.

Google has issued a stark warning to its 2.5 billion Gmail users worldwide, urging them to change their passwords and enable two-step verification (2SV) as hackers ramp up their attacks. 

The alert comes after a surge in successful break-ins, many of which have been linked to the notorious hacking collective ShinyHunters. 

The group, whose name is inspired by the Pokmon franchise, has been active since 2020 and is believed to be behind several high-profile data breaches, including those at AT&T, Microsoft, Santander, and Ticketmaster, according to SILIVE.com.

ShinyHunters’ favourite tactic is phishing: sending carefully crafted emails that trick recipients into clicking on bogus login pages or handing over sensitive details, including security codes. 

While much of the stolen data in this recent campaign was publicly available, Google has warned that the group’s techniques could escalate into more targeted and damaging attacks.