Rolled out earlier this year on the web, Gmail for Android will now warn users when they receive a message from an unauthenticated sender. Today’s other security update extends Safe Browsing protections to links from phishing and malware sites found in emails.
Like in the web app, email senders that cannot be authenticated via Sender Policy Framework or DKIM will have their profile photo replaced by a red question mark. This measure is designed to help protect users from sources masquerading as legitimate senders.
Google notes that not all affected senders are necessarily dangerous, but users should take extra precaution. In February, Gmail also began to flag messages that are sent to email providers that do not support TLS encryption and thus could be snooped on while in transit.
Safe Browsing pops up a bright red warning page with the option to turn back before taking users to a possibly malicious site. Already available in Google Search and Chrome, the feature has been extended to URLs found in emails that lead to phishing, malware, and Unwanted Software sites.
Both updates aim to provide end users with the tools to make informed decisions and should be live by the end of the week.
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