Requiring two-step authentication (2FA) on Google accounts has paid off, according to Google. The search giant claims that accounts are being broken into 50 percent less.
Google already required some users of the total number of Google accounts to use 2FA security. According to Google, the number of intrusions on accounts in that group has since been reduced by 50 percent.
Defense by 2FA
Guemmy Kim, director of account security and safety, provides additional clarification on the numbers, “Since last year’s initiative, we have automatically enabled 2FA on more than 150 million users, and we have also required it on more than 2 million of our YouTube video creators.”
The number of intrusions on these accounts has decreased in the meantime, although it is not clear how many accounts attackers were able to log into anyway. Still, the numbers reflect a positive evolution and show that mandating 2FA was the right choice.
Thus, two-step authentication is an important defense against attackers. 2FA requires users to add additional authentication in addition to a login and password. This can be a phone number, email, physical hardware key (usb stick), code generator or even your smartphone. How to get the most out of security, find out in this blog.
More safety
Google simultaneously announced that it will soon be possible to build additional security into your account. Starting in March, it will be possible to enable a safe browsing option, making known malicious Web sites inaccessible.