Reports that Gmail suffered a massive breach have been dismissed by Google, which said rumours of warnings to 2.5 billion users were false.

In a Monday blog post, Google rejected claims that it had issued global notifications about a serious Gmail security issue. It stressed that its protections remain effective against phishing and malware.

Confusion stems from a June incident involving a Salesforce server, during which attackers briefly accessed public business information, including names and contact details. Google said all affected parties were notified by early August.

The company acknowledged that phishing attempts are increasing, but clarified that Gmail's defences block more than 99.9% of such attempts. A July blog post on phishing risks may have been misinterpreted as evidence of a breach.

Google urged users to remain vigilant, recommending password alternatives such as passkeys and regular account reviews. While the false alarm spurred unnecessary panic, security experts noted that updating credentials remains good practice.