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Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common, with hackers finding vulnerabilities and often gaining access to sensitive information. This has led to an air of mistrust among the community. While Google has been controversial for a while over its monopoly in the search market and is facing many legal troubles, this recent data breach is not related to those issues. The tech giant recently confirmed that it was hit by the ShinyHunters ransomware group, which targeted its corporate Salesforce database systems containing business contact information.
Google confirms data breach by hackers – what was stolen and what does it mean
Google has confirmed a targeted cyberattack that exposed vulnerabilities in its system, allowing access to corporate Salesforce databases in June 2025. The attack was carried out by the notorious ShinyHunters group (UNC6040). While the breach’s extent was limited and did not impact core systems or sensitive consumer data, it highlighted a weak link in the company’s supply chain security.
According to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), hackers used voice phishing techniques. They called employees, pretending to be members of the internal IT team, to have them install an altered version of Salesforce’s Data Loader. This allowed the attackers to access the database before their intrusion was detected. The stolen data included business contact information and details related to clients. No payment or personal information was compromised.
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While ShinyHunters are known for making ransom demands in past cases, Google did not mention any such attempts. However, cybersecurity experts warn that these types of attacks are becoming more frequent, with many organizations falling victim every month. It’s particularly striking how the tech giant’s own security researchers were monitoring ShinyHunters’ activities but still couldn’t prevent the exploitation.
Although the breach may seem minor given that it did not involve personal or sensitive information and no consumer data was compromised, it still poses a threat. These business contact details can be used for future phishing attacks. The breach is more about the method of access – a stark reminder that even tech giants like Google, despite being prepared against such exploitations, can fall prey to them.
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What type of cyberattack did Google confirm it experienced, according to the article?
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