Google Forms is one of the less well-known programs in the Google Drive online suite. It’s a simple, user-friendly method for making an online form that others may fill out. It can be used to conduct employee surveys, plan social events, provide a contact form, and much more. However, there are also nefarious uses for Google Forms.
In just a few minutes, you can generate these forms with clear and clean formatting, official-looking photos and videos, and—above all—a legitimate Google Docs URL that will work flawlessly in your web browser. These phony-looking forms can subsequently be used by scammers to request login credentials or payment information.Google itself warned about the problem in February, indicating that this kind of scam is still prevalent. The assault circumvented typical email virus protection and targeted Stanford University staff and students using a Google Forms link that requested login credentials for the university’s academic portal.
why do scammers choose google forms?
Malicious actors are constantly searching for methods to circumvent email security measures and give frauds more legitimacy. Google Forms is a fantastic way to accomplish both. Cybercriminals prefer it because it is:
1. Threat actors can start campaigns at scale for free, potentially yielding a high return on investment.
2. Users’ trust in it raises the likelihood that victims will think the Google Form they’re being sent or redirected to is authentic.
3. A legitimate service, which means that conventional email security measures frequently bypass rogue Google Forms and connections to malicious forms.
4.The tool’s ease of use benefits both users and cybercriminals, as it allows them to run convincing phishing attacks with minimal work and understanding.
5.The fact that Google Forms communications are encrypted with TLS, which may make it more difficult for security tools to peer in and look for any malicious activity, is another tactic used by cybercriminals.
6. Likewise, the solution frequently makes use of dynamic URLs, which could make it difficult for certain email security filters to identify malicious forms.
How google form attack look like?
Although there are minor differences in the methods used by threat actors, the majority of Google Forms threats exploit the tool to deceive users into divulging their financial and personal information. The following are some key strategies to watch out for:
Forms associated with phishing
Google Forms are made by threat actors to impersonate trustworthy brands, including payment pages, banks, universities, and social network login pages. As previously said, the benefit for the adversaries is that it is less likely to be blocked by security filters and is quicker, simpler, and less expensive to do so than creating a specialized phishing website.
Usually, a phishing email will send you a link to one of these malicious Google Forms, and the email itself may be faked to look like a real company or sender. Even a valid account that has been compromised could be the source of the email. In any case, the ultimate objective is typically to:
1.Your log-ins may be harvested, which could lead to identity theft and account takeover.
2.Take control of these accounts, deplete their cash, or perpetrate payment fraud by stealing your card information or banking or crypto information.
3.convince you to click on a link in the malicious Google Form that will take you to a website where malware will be secretly installed on your computer.
The Scam’s Operation
Although these scams can take many different forms, they usually begin with a phishing email that attempts to fool you into thinking it is an official and authentic correspondence. It might be made to appear as though it came from a respectable company, a coworker, or an administrator.
Part of the scam is the initial phishing email’s seeming legitimacy and quality. We frequently receive requests in our inboxes to reset passwords, confirm information, or take additional action. The email may convey a sense of urgency or suggest that your security has been breached, as is common with scammers.
Even worse, if someone in your business, family, or social circle has had their account compromised, the initiating email may actually originate from a valid email address. Even if the phrasing and style would be strange, everything would appear authentic, thus you wouldn’t be able to perform the standard checks on the sender identity and email address in this situation.
This email, or possibly a social media direct message, will be used toprovide a link to Google Forms, which is the second fraud element. Usually designed to appear authentic, this form may attempt to mimic a well-known website, such as your bank or place of employment. To get you into more trouble, the form may ask for private information, provide a link to malicious software, or include an email address or phone number.
There are no concerns because Google Forms is hosted on Google’s servers, as was previously mentioned. Additionally, scammers can easily close and reopen these forms on several random URLs, which makes it more difficult for security tools to detect them. Scammers aren’t losing anything by producing large quantities of them because they are free to make.
Let see how to go against that
The majority of frauds, including this one, can be avoided with the same set of common sense precautions. Any unexpected contacts, such as strange friend requests or password reset procedures that you haven’t initiated yourself, should be avoided. Instead of depending solely on the information in the email, call the sender (your bank or your company) if you have any doubts.
Generally speaking, you shouldn’t enter any payment or login information into a Google Forms document (the address bar of your browser will start with docs.google.com). These forms will include Submit and Clear form buttons at the bottom, but they won’t have any sophisticated formatting or layouts, even though they might look rather nicely presented.
Additionally, depending on how the form is configured, Google Forms should contain a message at the bottom that reads either “never submit passwords” or “content is neither developed nor supported by Google.” Even if the form link seems to have come from a reliable source, you can still look for these indicators. Additionally, contact the source directly if you are being requested for critical information.
If you believe you have discovered a fraud, you can utilize the Report button located at the bottom of every form made with Google Forms. The following common safeguards are applicable if you have previously submitted information before realizing what is happening: As soon as you can, change your passwords and let the person who is managing the account know.that might have been compromised, and you might want assistance.
Being aware of the existence of this type of fraud is a first step in improving one’s protection. As usual, it also helps to keep your desktop and mobile software updated. For the reasons we’ve already discussed, this won’t necessarily signal a suspect form, but it should indicate that any fraudulent links you’re sent to are identified.
