Gmail Is Getting A Whole Lot Safer With One Simple Change

Beginning next month, Gmail is going to be much safer to use. That's because Google is going to start blocking Javascript attachments from Gmail messages, potentially shutting down a major security risk. This isn't the first time Gmail has blocked certain types of attachments, and Javascript will be joining other types like .exe, .msc, and .bat files.

As outlined on the G Suite blog, this new Gmail policy will go into effect on February 13, 2017. That's the rapid release date, with the standard release happening two weeks later. After those dates, you'll see a warning within Gmail when you try to attach a .js file to your message.

This applies to any Javascript files that may be lurking within archives too, so there won't exactly be a workaround in this instance. Blocking Javascript from Gmail attachments doesn't mean that they're being blocked from Google services entirely, however. Google says that if you still need to send a Javascript file to someone, you'll be able to do so through Google Drive or Google Cloud Storage.

While this might become a headache for some folks out there, it'll could vastly increase security for others. Some of the world's less savory people can use Javascript attachments to sneak in malware under the radar, putting people who may not be so vigilant at risk. This move by Google should prevent at least some instances of that happening, so this is a case of Google protecting Gmail users from themselves.

Once February 13 rolls around, Javascript will be blocked for all Gmail users. The roll out should be over quickly, too, with Google only expecting it to take one to three days. To read more about this decision – and to see which other file types are blocked from Gmail – check out the source link below.

SOURCE G Suite Blog