Following a phishing scam that was targeting Google Docs users, Google decided to help beef up security. However it looks like the company’s efforts at protecting their users and services isn’t quite done yet (which is obviously great news) as they have announced new security measures that will be put into place.According to Google, “Beginning today, we’re rolling out an “unverified app” screen for newly created web applications and Apps Scripts that require verification. This new screen replaces the “error” page that developers and users of unverified web apps receive today. The “unverified app” screen precedes the permissions consent screen for the app and lets potential users know that the app has yet to be verified. This will help reduce the risk of user data being phished by bad actors.”
This notification/warning to users about unverified apps actually serves a couple of purposes. One of which lets users know when an app hasn’t been verified and that they should proceed with caution, or not at all. The second, according to Google, will allow developers to test their apps more easily as users can acknowledge the unverified app alert and choose to help out in the testing if they choose.
Google writes, “We’re committed to fostering a healthy ecosystem for both users and developers. These new notices will inform users automatically if they may be at risk, enabling them to make informed decisions to keep their information safe, and will make it easier to test and develop apps for developers.”