Gmail's New Security Warnings Make Your Email Safer

Google has made its email service a bit safer thanks to the inclusion of a pair of new security warnings. Gmail users will see these security warnings both on the Web and in Gmail for Android, with one warning showing up as a question mark and the other being a big, bold red "Warning" notice. The security warnings are being rolled out as part of a rapid release, which is scheduled to happen in two weeks; the actual rollout will only take a couple days, though, so you should see both arrive in your inbox fairly soon.

The first security warning, which will show up on Android and on the Web, is the question mark you see below — it shows up if the message you receive couldn't be authenticated with DKIM or Sender Policy Framework, according to Google.

The second one will be more familiar to users — a big "Warning – visiting this web site may harm your computer!" notice. That will appear if you get a message that contains a link to a website that is known to spread malware, unwanted software, or to be involved with phishing. The warnings are part of Google's larger "Safe Browsing" protection.

Google says that not all emails that trigger one of these two security warnings will "necessarily be dangerous." Rather, if you see the warning you should take a moment to evaluate the message, the sender, and exercise caution before clicking on any included links, depending on the warning you get.

SOURCE: Google Blog