In this connected age, we spend way too much time online, and as a result, we rely on online and internet services for many facets of our lives. Of course, we need usernames and passwords to log into these platforms.
Sadly, with the dynamics of the online space today, these alone are proving inadequate in fulfilling our privacy needs, as passwords can be compromised or even mined owing to the raw power of computer systems out there.
As a result of this, we have seen many innovations, and one that has slowly but steadily taken root is multi-factor authentication. This requires users to provide additional info in a bid to make unauthorized access to said accounts a little more tedious.
Over the past few months, we have seen reports of tech Companies pushing their users to adopt Two-Factor Authentication. And now, there are reports that Google is planning to go all out on this front.
New details have emerged regarding Google’s plan to make two-factor authentication (2FA) mandatory for Google Accounts by the end of this year. In the commemoration of World Password day back in May, Google hinted at this, and now the company is seemingly putting the rubber to the road.
It has been proven that having a second form of authentication dramatically decreases an attacker’s chances of gaining access to them, and this is the whole idea behind multi-factor authentication.
It has been reported that Google has been tinkering and tweaking with the two-step verification that is similar to 2-Factor Authentication for years now. According to the Mountain View Tech giant, 2SV is the strongest when it “combines something you know,” like, for example, a password or PIN, with “something you have,” such as your smartphone or a security key.
This is seemingly ready for primetime, and it comes on November 9. All users of Google services will need to have signed up and registered for 2-factor authentication, a failure to which they will be opted in by default.
“After entering the password, you will need to complete a second step on the phone. Keep your phone handy when you log in. Two-Step Verification will be activated automatically on November 9th. If you want, you can activate this feature first: your account is ready.”
These are a few extra hurdles and hoops that Google Accounts might have to deal with when trying to log into their accounts. This also means that unscrupulous characters will also have a harder time trying to hack into others’ accounts. All in all, this will lead to a more secure online experience for millions of Google users worldwide.
