Google warns Drive users about spam attacks: Here’s what you should do

Google Drive, the widely used  file storage and synchronisation service, has recently been targeted by a surge of spam attacks. These attacks involve users receiving dubious file approval requests, posing significant risks to their online security.

In response to this concern, Google has issued a warning, urging Drive users to remain cautious and take necessary precautions.

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“Google Drive is aware of a recent wave of Spam attacks wherein the user receives a request to approve a suspicious file,” Google said in a post.

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The tech giant said that users can open the file without risk and then report it as abuse and block the user. 

Google emphasised that users should not click on any links in the document or approve it.

In cases where the notification fails to open the file, it indicates that Google has blocked the spam document, but not until after the notification was sent.

Google is actively working on improvements to detection to prevent notifications from being sent.

Also, the company advises marking any suspicious files as spam or reporting them.

Last year, Google introduced a dedicated spam folder within Google Drive to host unwanted files that are shared with you containing spam or abusive content. 

When an unsolicited file is moved to the spam folder, you will be unsubscribed, preventing all comments, sharing, and mobile push notifications for the file. Once unsubscribed, you will not be able to find the file anywhere in Drive outside of your spam folder. 

The spam folder in Google Drive aims to enhance security by giving users a way to suppress potentially malicious content to stay safe and distraction free. Once a file has been in the spam folder for over 30 days, it will be permanently deleted from Google Drive.