Google said in a blog post that it saw a 50% drop in compromised accounts after making the two-step verification active by default for more than 150 million users and over 2 million YouTube creators. Last year, in October, Google announced its plans to auto-enable two-step verification on 150 million accounts before the end of the year in order to increase their security.According to Google, the 50% drop in compromised accounts proves how beneficial it is to use a second form of verification and how effective it is in protecting your account and all the valuable personal information that is contained within it. Google also stated that it would continue with the 2SV auto activations in 2022.
In its announcement, Google said that it is working on the implementation of security keys, which would offer a ‘safer and more convenient’ way to sign in. According to Google, the use of security keys will eliminate the need to use a password in order to sign in to your account. Also, because they offer the best sign-in security, Google makes Android phones and has made its Google Smart Lock app for iPhones and iPads compatible with this new technology.
Google also used its announcement to remind its users of three ways they can use to stay safe:
- Use Google’s Security Checkup: Google’s Security Checkup might suggest specific actions for you to improve the security of your profile. You can also use Security Checkup to set up a recovery email or phone number and see which apps have access to your account, your security activity, as well as the number of devices on which you are logged in.
- Turn on 2SV if it still isn’t turned on: If your password is compromised, 2SV may protect your account and personal data because it will add an additional step in the log-in process. Google also noted that many governments, like the Biden Administration, use multi-factor authentication to protect government data.
- Use Google Password Manager: According to Google, with Google Password Manager, you can have strong passwords without the need to remember them, you can see if your passwords were compromised, and you can log in to sites by simply pressing a button.
