Google will be pushing a new update to its mail service Gmail that will prohibit users from attaching JavaScript files in to their mails. Starting February 13th, you’ll no longer be able to attach .js files as they are increasingly being used as a form of malware. If a user downloads a malicious JavaScript file, hackers can use it to gain access to their PC to steal data or perform other damaging functions.
As reported by Android Police, JavaScript joins .exe, .bat, and .msc as file types that are restricted from being shared as a direct attachment on Gmail. You won’t be able to get around hiding them in compressed forms, such as .zip, either. To send or share .js files, you can still upload them on Google Drive, Google Cloud Storage or other storage solutions and then turn on sharing on that file.
Several file types are already restricted on Gmail, like the .exe, .msc, and .bat files for security reasons and .js joins the outcast party for the same. These files are easy carriers of malicious software that can hidden inside them an once downloaded, can be used by hackers to gain control of the computer, steal data, or damage the operating system.
Javascript files have been a staple for transporting malware through email. It doesn’t even need a user to click and open the file and wait for the infection to spread.
Though the malware attack though .js files was never difficult, but it now has been adopted frequently as a medium. JavaScript is used by 93.6% of all the websites and it is a fast and easy medium to reach millions of users at once.
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