Brutkey

Brian Greenberg :verified:
@brian_greenberg@infosec.exchange

This Gmail hack is unsettling not because it’s flashy, but because it’s bureaucratic. Attackers aren’t breaking encryption or outsmarting algorithms. They’re filling out forms. By changing an account’s age and abusing Google’s Family Link feature, they can quietly reclassify an adult user as a “child” and assume parental control. At that point, the rightful owner isn’t hacked so much as administratively erased.

The clever part is that everything happens inside legitimate features. Passwords are changed. Two-factor settings are altered. Recovery options are overwritten. And when the user tries to get back in, Google’s automated systems see a supervised child account and do exactly what they were designed to do: say no.

Google says it’s looking into the issue, which suggests this wasn’t how the system was supposed to work. But it’s a reminder of an old lesson. Security failures often happen when protective mechanisms are combined in ways no one quite imagined. The tools aren’t broken. The assumptions are.

There’s no dramatic fix here, only mildly annoying advice that suddenly feels urgent. Review recovery settings. Lock down account changes. Use passkeys. Because once an attacker controls the recovery layer, proving you’re you can become surprisingly difficult.

TL;DR
🧠 Family safety tools are being weaponized
⚡ Account recovery can be shut down entirely
🎓 Legitimate features enable the lockout
🔍 Prevention matters more than appeals

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/12/07/google-looking-into-gmail-hack-locking-users-out-with-no-recovery

#Cybersecurity #Gmail #IdentitySecurity #AccountRecovery #DigitalRisk #security #privacy #cloud #infosec