India, Aug. 30 -- Google has issued a critical security warning to its 2.5 billion Gmail users, urging them to update their passwords due to a spike in successful hacking attempts. The company is strongly recommending the activation of two-step verification (2SV) and other protective measures to safeguard accounts.

The hacking group ShinyHunters, reportedly inspired by the Pokemon franchise, has been active since 2020 and is tied to major data breaches at companies like AT&T, Microsoft, Santander, and Ticketmaster, according to SILIVE.com.

These hackers often use phishing emails to deceive users into visiting fake login pages or revealing sensitive details, such as 2SV codes.

Although much of the compromised data in this incident was p...