SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

Spear Phishers Go Casting in Google Wave

Google is making waves with Wave, its new collaboration platform that enables users to share a common browser-based workspace. It’s not generally available; Google yesterday opened the platform up to 100,000 beta testers and developers to get feedback on performance and functionality. And that scarcity of availability is precisely what spear phishers wanted. Websense issued […]

Written By
thumbnail Lawrence Walsh
Lawrence Walsh
Oct 2, 2009
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

Google is making waves with Wave, its new collaboration platform that enables users to share a common browser-based workspace. It’s not generally available; Google yesterday opened the platform up to 100,000 beta testers and developers to get feedback on performance and functionality. And that scarcity of availability is precisely what spear phishers wanted.

Websense issued an alert that spear phishers and hackers are using the intense interest in Google Wave to attract developers and users to malicious and compromised Web sites. These sites do not provide access to Wave, but rather to rogue antivirus applications and malware.

“There’s a lot of hype about the launch of Google Wave, not only because of the ‘new’ things it offers but also because Google invited only 100,000 lucky users to test the service. With that said, it’s no surprise that users are enticed to this new application. Unfortunately, it’s also no surprise that the bad guys are using this hype to manipulate search results,” Websense wrote in its alert.

Google purposely limited the number of users to 100,000 to control the beta test group. New members are being admitted, but you must request an invitation into the community. The only legitimate way of getting in is through Google’s portal; not third-party sites.

>> Click here to read the rest of the report and join the discussion on the Secure Channel Blog

Recommended for you...

Sherweb Expanding Portfolio Offerings With Expert Guidance
Jordan Smith
Aug 15, 2025
Arctic Wolf Research: Cyber Insurance Driving Security Needs
Victoria Durgin
Aug 14, 2025
Brivo Launching New Solution to Boost Security Suite
Jordan Smith
Aug 13, 2025
MetTel to Modernize Communication Lines for VA
Jordan Smith
Aug 8, 2025
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.