Google being weird... seems to think my new PC is a "suspicious app"...

Short of it is that my Google account, which has all the security measures enabled, is showing a red warning that a "suspicious app has been detected" on my new PC. It states the time, which is basically when I turned on my PC yesterday morning.

The problem is that there is no suspicious activity! I have scanned my PC twice using Windows Defender and Malwarebytes which found nothing suspicious. My password was changed last week and nothing in the logged events or locations shows that anyone other than myself has been using my Google account.

Now I do use my Google account both at home and at work and this shows in my account but this has been the case for years now but nothing has ever been triggered by this. It looks very much like Google is seeing my new PC as being a "suspicious app".

This is the warning:

Suspicious app detected
Someone might have accessed your Google Account using a suspicious app. You’ve been signed out on this device to protect your account.

The exact wording is "Device with suspicious app" and the name shown is that of my new PC along with 'Windows'. It then shows the following:

Before you sign in

• Remove unsafe apps from this device. Learn more
• Change your password

Of course, I did the scans before I logged into my account directly from the browser but I have no idea what the 'unsafe apps' could possibly be. Could this be related to a hacking attempt with another site that uses my Google account, e.g. GeForce Experience, Whatsapp or something like that?

I really do not want to have to change my password again and all my credit cards have been removed from my Google account anyway due to a fraudulent attempt by someone late last year to use my account to pay funds to a Google Ads campaign. That card was cancelled two weeks ago and the monies refunded so I do not believe this issue relates to that.

How can I get rid of this warning? Has anyone else come across this? Google do not show any details of what the suspicious app might be but it seems strange that it is flagged at the exact same time I turned me PC on yesterday morning (and it was turned off, not in sleep mode). The bizarre thing is that I have been using my new PC with the Google account since 16th December when it was delivered and nothing else has changed on it since in terms of hardware or software.

P.S. I use Edge (current chromium version) rather than Chrome for most of my browsing but this has been the case for years, it isn't something I have just switched to recently.

 

I g nothing. Crap spyware worst than Russian Mafia Hacks...

You can test it with a browser from your mobile for example. If nothing comes up, you may really need to just wipe your OS as hacks can be hidden well.

Or run a VM then log into from there. Better yet, setup a Linux VM and then log into your G account.

 

Are you using a mail client? If you access gmail through a mail client without configuring it for Oauth2 login, you'll get "suspicious app" warnings.

 

I do not have a Gmail account. I use Windows Mail and Thunderbird with my local ISP mail account and have done for years and through Windows 10 and now Windows 11. I think I would have to contact Google to find out what the suspicious app is because this is clearly different from, say, them noticing suspicious behaviour on my Google account.

Anyway, I have decided to do a full scan of my PC and have changed my password (again!) which seems to have cleared the warning from my account. If it happens again then I'll try (wish me luck!) to contact Google for more details.

 

Google wants their money, time to pay the piper
Get that credit card out Darren
Cheers mate.

 

Try logging in on another PC (not used for this before) and see if you get the same message.
Chances are its meant to alert you of a login on a machine not used by you before but they goofed up the analysis/response.
Worth testing though.

 

I got an email from Google this morning that states, I quote: "You recently indicated that someone else may have used your Google Account and that you started reviewing recommended security steps.". I believe this may have been triggered by Live Chat with a couple of Google staff late last year regarding the attempt by someone to fraudulently use Google Ads on my credit card. That has now been resolved but this may just be a late response to that. However, the wording is very confusing as it previously implied that a suspicious app had been detected but now they are saying it that this was triggered because I had reported it!

I no longer have any payment cards attached to my Google account - I no longer trust them as someone was able to access my account despite having all the security measures activated, including the phone verification which I am constantly having to use even on my regular work and home PCs - so if anyone does get hold of my account again then there isn't much they can do with it. I do not use Google for my emails, I only really use it for YouTube and I no longer subscribe to that either.

 

Automated system Pfffft.
lol.

 

Sometimes when I login into my email or facebook via web browser on a different computer or at a different location I receive a suspicious login notification.

I imagine most mail and social media services use device fingerprinting and IP address checks for security reasons.

 

Why on earth would you ever trust them? Seriously

 

Regarding the multi-factor authentication I believe phone numbers can be spoofed. Years ago I played a prank on a couple of family members in the same room, spoofing each other’s phone numbers, making it look like they were calling each other. I made them look like fools!

 

Outbounds yes, inbounds no.

 

Oh yes, good point! Silly me

 

Just a quick update on this issue.

Google finally acknowledged my contact with support regarding someone using my account fraudulently and stealing money from my credit card for a Google Ads campaign although it took them 3-weeks to do so! I also got my money back from my bank after numerous phone calls to about 6 or 7 different people in total.

It is now past the 6 week investigation window so I assume this has now being fully resolved although I have not heard anything else from either Google or my bank since. However, I no longer have any payment cards attached to my Google account and will not be adding any in future until I find out exactly how my account was compromised in the first place with all the security measures enabled (so even I had to keep verifying it was me using the account via a text sent to my phone!). I just do not trust Google any more.

 

Great to hear it’s sorted

Crazy how such big tech companies can fall short. Guess they can afford to though!