Alphabet Inc. warned its users to beware of e-mails from known contacts asking them to click on a link to Google Docs after a large number of people turned to social media to complain that their accounts had been hacked.
Google said on Wednesday that it had taken steps to protect users from the attacks by disabling offending accounts and removing malicious pages.
“Our abuse team is working to prevent this kind of spoofing from happening again,” the company said in an e-mail to Reuters.
The malicious e-mails asked victims to click to view a file created with Google Docs. Anybody who did that unknowingly granted hackers access to their Google account data including e-mails, contacts and online documents, according to security experts who reviewed the scheme.
“This is a very serious situation for anybody who is infected because the victims have their accounts controlled by a malicious party,” said Justin Cappos, a cybersecurity professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
Cappos said he received seven of those malicious e-mails in three hours on Wednesday afternoon, an indication that the hackers were using an automated system to perpetuate the attacks.
He said he did not know the objective, but noted that compromised accounts could be used to reset passwords for online banking accounts or provide access to sensitive financial and personal data. (Reporting by Alastair Sharp and Jim Finkle in Toronto)
Spam campaign targets Google users with malicious link
Spam campaign targets Google users with malicious link
List Magazine launches The List Awards
RIYADH: Luxury travel and lifestyle magazine List has announced the launch of The List Awards, in association with Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille.
The List Awards are a first-of-its-kind recognition celebrating excellence across travel, wellness, culture, and fine dining in Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region.
Winners will be officially announced in the Winter 2026 edition of the magazine and across its social and digital platforms.
The awards aim to define what world-class excellence looks and feels like in a new era of Saudi hospitality, creativity, and experience-driven living by recognizing establishments and cultural experiences shaping modern luxury in the region.
The selection process is not based on submissions, paid placements or public voting. Instead, List’s editorial team and a panel of independent judges personally experience each venue, brand or experience.
Each entry is then explored, debated, and verified against key criteria: originality, precision, consistency, and relevance to the modern Saudi traveller.
Nóirín Hegarty, List’s editor-in-chief, said: “Saudi Arabia is in the midst of an extraordinary cultural and creative transformation. The List Awards were born from a desire to recognise that energy and define what excellence truly looks like today.
“These awards are not about prestige for its own sake — they are about experience, authenticity, and intent. Every name on the list earned its place because it represents the best of the best and the future of luxury in the region and beyond.”
