Google says an operation has been under way to steal the passwords to tens of thousands of Gmail accounts belonging to users in Iran.
The U.S. Internet company said the attempts to “phish” -- or trick users into giving up their user names and passwords -- originated in Iran and appeared to be "politically motivated in connection with the Iranian presidential election" on June 14.
The statement did not suggest why a political motive was suspected but said the attempts began almost three weeks ago.
It said there were indications that the same group behind the latest incidents was involved in a cyberattack targeting Iranians about two years ago.
Eric Grosse, Google’s vice president of security engineering, urged Iranians to take precautions to protect their accounts.
The U.S. Internet company said the attempts to “phish” -- or trick users into giving up their user names and passwords -- originated in Iran and appeared to be "politically motivated in connection with the Iranian presidential election" on June 14.
The statement did not suggest why a political motive was suspected but said the attempts began almost three weeks ago.
It said there were indications that the same group behind the latest incidents was involved in a cyberattack targeting Iranians about two years ago.
Eric Grosse, Google’s vice president of security engineering, urged Iranians to take precautions to protect their accounts.