Gmail adopts a new phishing defense system

Google has just unveiled a new defense system coming to Gmail. Designed primarily to counter phishing attempts, this security protocol is actually based on BIMI, a standard that allows e-mail publishers and domain name owners to coordinate, the goal being to display the certified logo. marks next to the name of the issuer.

With the democratization of teleworking due to the pandemic, phishing campaigns have exploded in 2020 and 2021. As evidenced by recent phishing attempts that have targeted customers of Disney +, Paypal not to mention the thousands of stolen passwords during a phishing campaign and displayed in clear text on Google in January 2021.

In fact, phishing has quickly established itself for several years as one of the main cyber threats. And of course, Google has made this a priority and Gmail already has a solid security system capable of automatically filter potentially malicious emails. However, it was not enough in the eyes of the Mountain View firm which has just announced the imminent arrival a new security protocol on its flagship messaging.

Google adopts the BIMI standard to counter phishing

This new countermeasure is based on the BIMI standard, “an industry standard that aims to promote the adoption of strong sender authentication for the entire messaging ecosystem ”. To sum up, BIMI will offer email recipients and editors a increased confidence in the source of emails, while providing shippers with a more immersive experience.

But let’s go into detail if you don’t mind. The BIMI standard, for Brand Indicators for Message Identification, coordinates the publishers of electronic messaging and the owners of domain names in order to allow them display their certified logos in an email, directly next to the name of the issuer.

This standard is only open to domain names protected by the e-mail authentication protocol called DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance). Associated with BIMI, this protocol allows brands to transmit their logos certified by official bodies to Google. Fact, Gmail will then be able to display the official logo instead of the avatar.

Thanks to this system, users will be able to recognize at a glance the origin and authenticity of the sender of an email, while brands will be able to increase the visibility and reach of their logo. “Gmail’s support for BIMI is a victory for email authentication, brand and consumer trust. BIMI empowers organizations to offer their customers a more immersive email experience, strengthening sender authentication across the entire email ecosystem ”, says Seth Blank, chairman of the AuthIndicators working group.

Source: Google