Google Plus May Shut Down Early Due To New Vulnerability - Olmec Skip to main content

Google Plus May Shut Down Early Due To New Vulnerability

By December 27, 2018June 2nd, 2022Cybersecurity

If you’re a Google Plus user, you’re probably already aware that Google has plans to bring an end to the service.

What you may not know is that recently, Google+ suffered another breach in a long string of breaches.

This most recent incident put the private information of more than 52 million users at risk.

The information included:

  • User name
  • Email address
  • Occupation
  • Age

While no passwords were included in the exposure, the information that was taken is certainly enough to allow a savvy hacker to steal an identity.  In response, Google has announced that they will be ending the service four months earlier than originally planned.

Google discovered the issue during one of their standard testing procedures and addressed it within one week of its discovery.  It should also be noted that there’s no evidence to this point that any data was actually stolen, but the possibility certainly exists.

In their official disclosure statement, the company assured its users that no financial data, national identification numbers, passwords or other sensitive data was exposed.  Unfortunately, this latest incident appears to be the last straw.  Just a month ago, the company reported another data breach that saw them lose control of the private data belonging to more than half a million of their users.

The original sunset date for the service was slated for August, 2019.  That timeframe has now been moved up to April, 2019.  As a reminder, the Enterprise portion of the service will remain even after the revised sunset date.  According to Google: “Our review showed that Google+ is better suited as an enterprise product where co-workers can engage in internal discussions on a secure corporate social network.”

All that to say, if you’re a Google+ user and you haven’t yet begun transitioning away from the service, your timeframe just got four months shorter.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.