Google Adds Virus Scanning to Gmail

Google on Wednesday silently added a new feature to its Gmail service: virus scanning. The company will now check all incoming and outgoing e-mail attachments to keep users' inboxes safe. By scanning outbound attachments, Google can also keep viruses from proliferating by way of Gmail.

"If a virus is found in an attachment you've received, our system will attempt to remove it, or clean the file, so you can still access the information it contains. If the virus can't be removed from the file, you won't be able to download it," reads a notice in the Gmail Help Center.