Google Points to 2SV Success - ThreatWire
Added 2022-02-15 16:10:48 +0000 UTCBy Shannon Morse, ThreatWire
Google announced back in October 2021 that they planned to auto enroll 150 million users in 2 factor authentication (or two step verification) by the end of that year. This was just months after they’d originally announced their initiative to push more adoption of 2FA in May of 2021. Google just announced that they’ve successfully auto enrolled that user count in 2 step verification and by doing so, they also decreased the number of accounts hijacked by password theft by 50%. This also includes requiring 2 million Youtube creators to enable two step verification.
In a blog post published on February 8, Google points out that they’re aware people use Gmail and their Google accounts to link up with non-Google accounts for sites like banks, social media and shopping, so keeping Gmail secure is fundamental to their work to keep users safe online.
They use the major decrease in account hijackings as a crucial point in showing how important 2 step verification is to protect your data and personal info.
But this isn’t all. Google used this news to also point out the work they’re doing to eliminate the reliance we have on passwords. For example, leading the way on adoption of security hardware keys - the kinds that you plug into your device and tap on in order to verify your login. This is also built into Android phones and via the Google Smart Lock app on iOS devices, so most modern devices in the world have this capability.
But of course, trusting that a business will keep you safe online is a tiny fraction of the practices that we should all be taking. Google also recommends users check out the Security Checkup step by step guide in your settings to ensure accounts are secure, enabling 2 Factor Authentication or 2 Step Verification on your accounts if it’s not enabled by default, and using a password manager (google recommends the Google password manager) to ensure passwords are strong and aren’t reused.
Google intends to continue auto enrolling users in 2SV in 2022. If you want to take the initiative into your own hands, you can totally do so by going into your settings to the Security Checkup feature, looking for 2FA settings and enabling it for your account.
Google 2SV:
https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/reducing-account-hijacking/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-has-auto-enrolled-150-million-users-in-2-step-verification/
