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Google is planning to auto-enroll an additional 150 million users into two-factor authentication in a bid to increase security on the platform.
It will also require two million YouTube creators to turn on two-step verification (2SV) by the end of 2021.
The tech giant had announced its plans to enable two-factor authentication (or two-step verification) by default to enable more security for accounts.
Also see: Google services like search and location to offer eco-friendly options
It is now planning on auto-enrolling Google accounts that have proper backup mechanisms in place to make a seamless transition to 2SV, it said in a blog post earlier this week. To make sure their account has the right settings in place, users can take a quick Security Checkup.
Extra security
Two-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security while signing in, requiring users reverify their account.
As Google explained in its post, “2SV is strongest when it combines both something you know (like a password) and something you have (like your phone or a security key).”
“In addition to passwords, we know that having a second form of authentication dramatically decreases an attacker’s chance of gaining access to an account. For years, Google has been at the forefront of innovation in two-step verification, one of the most reliable ways to prevent unauthorized access to accounts and networks,” it said.
Currently, over two billion devices around the world automatically support the 2SV technology, it added.
10,000 security keys
Additionally, it has also partnered with organisations to provide free security keys to over 10,000 high risk users this year.
To make security keys more accessible, it had built the capability into Android phones and its Google Smart Lock app on Apple devices.
Also see: Google won’t fund sites, YouTube videos that deny climate change
Talking about passwords, Google said that it checks the security of one billion passwords to protect Google accounts from being hacked.
Separately, users will soon also be able to take advantage of Chrome’s strong password generation feature for iOS app, similar to how Autofill with Google works on Android.
It is also rolling out a feature in the Google app that allows users to access all the passwords that they have saved in Google Password Manager directly from the Google app menu.
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