Google said a
"majority" of users were affected by the short-term software problem.
While people
could still access and use Gmail many people saw "unexpected behaviour"
because of the problem.
Many reported
the errors via Twitter seeking clarification from Google about what had gone
wrong.
The error
messages started appearing early on 4 April and hit people trying to send email
messages from Gmail and some of the firm's messaging apps.
The problems
arose because Google had neglected to renew a security certificate for Gmail
and its app services. The certificate helps the software establish a secure
connection to a destination, so messages can be sent with little fear they will
be spied upon.
Google's own in-house security service,
called Authority G2, administers the security certificates
and other secure software systems for the search giant.
Information about the problem was posted
to status pages Google
maintains for its apps and email services.
In the status message, Google said the problem was
"affecting a majority of users" who were seeing error messages. It
added that the glitch could cause programs to act in "unexpected"
ways.
The problem was
resolved about two hours after it was first noticed.
The glitch comes
soon after Google started refusing security certificates issued by the China
Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). Google said a security lapse by
the CNNIC meant the certificates could no longer be trusted. CNNIC called the
decision "unacceptable and unintelligible".
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