A woman holds her smart phone which displays the Google home page, in this picture illustration taken February 24, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/Illustration/Files

(Reuters) - A senior executive of Alphabet Inc's GOOGL.O Google unit said on Monday that the company was notifying customers of 4,000 state-sponsored cyber attacks per month.

Speaking at a Fortune magazine tech conference in Aspen, Colorado, Google senior vice president and Alphabet board member Diane Greene mentioned the figure while touting Google’s security prowess.

The internet search leader, which develops the Android mobile system and also offers email and a range of other applications for consumers, has led the way in notifying users of government spying. Others, including Microsoft Corp MSFT.O, have since followed suit.

Google had previously said that it had been issuing tens of thousands of warnings every few months and that customers often upgraded their security in response.