Vulnerability in Google Gemini Email Summarization Poses Phishing Risk
A vulnerability in Google Gemini's email summarization feature could facilitate phishing traps.
Key Points
- • A security vulnerability in Google Gemini for Workspace discovered.
- • Attackers can embed hidden instructions in emails, posing phishing risks.
- • Manipulation involves HTML and CSS to hide malicious prompts.
- • Urgent need for technical safeguards and user awareness.
A critical security vulnerability has been uncovered in Google Gemini for Workspace, raising concerns over the email summarization feature potentially facilitating phishing attacks. Researchers, led by Marco Figueroa, revealed that this flaw allows malicious actors to embed covert instructions within emails that can manipulate the AI’s summarization output. This could lead users to receive deceptive security alerts that seem legitimate.
Figueroa explained that the technique involves exploiting HTML and CSS to create invisible prompts, essentially disguising harmful instructions by manipulating font sizes and colors. This prompt injection attack does not utilize any visible links or attachments, making it particularly insidious. The implications of this vulnerability are serious; it could result in the proliferation of phishing traps or even the potentially self-replicating AI-driven worms.
Figueroa, who filed a report with 0DIN under submission ID 0xE24D9E6B, emphasized the urgent need for enhanced technical safeguards and heightened user awareness to combat the risks linked with AI-driven tools. As AI assists in managing communication, ensuring their security is paramount to protect users from evolving cyber threats.