SAN FRANCISCO, 27 FEB

As the furore over a hoax email purporting to come from Google and detailing how Gmail was to supposedly be closed down on 1 August starts to evaporate, Elon Musk just added fuel to the fire by claiming to be developing a new email service called Xmail.

No, Gmail isn’t closing down on 1 August

Despite the viral message about Google shutting down the Gmail email service this summer, that’s not going to happen. As I reported on 23 February, the message was nothing more than a realistic-looking fake. It was posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) with the headline that Google is sunsetting Gmail, which was enough to fool lots of people, it has to be said.

Xmail is coming, says Musk

Now another message has been posted to X, this time from the owner and richest person on the planet, Musk, which has also got people talking. In fact, the message was a reply to a question tweeted by X security engineer Nate McGrady that asked when the company would be developing Xmail. Musk was quick to respond with two words: It’s coming.

When is Xmail coming?

Of course, in true Musk fashion, those two words say both a lot and nothing at all simultaneously. His response would appear to be a case of throwing an idea out there and seeing what the response from the masses is. I have reached out to X in order to see if it can provide any further information.

The Security Risks Of Musk’s Xmail Announcement

Given the fact that the hype around the viral Gmail closure message is still swirling around, I would advise caution about responding to any messages on any platform that relate to your Gmail account or further information about closures. The same advice goes for messages concerning Musk’s Xmail. It’s likely cybercriminals will seize the opportunity to exploit confusion and distribute phishing messages with malicious intent. Courtesy, Forbes