Last month, we talked about Google planning to automatically enable 2-step verification (2SV) for millions of users. The company wanted to turn on this security feature for over 150 million users before the end of 2021. The plan appears to be progressing further, with the company now sending new prompts to users who don’t have 2SV yet.
A source on Reddit confirmed the news (via), with some users already receiving reminder emails from Google. The company’s support page says that users will receive a notification seven days before 2SV is automatically enabled.
If a user doesn’t have any alternate verification method such as SMS codes or Google Authenticator, Google will enable standard 2SV on their account. This will require users to confirm their authentication on another device. If your phone is lost, the company will get in touch through the recovery email to help with the next steps.
YouTube creators were recently mandated to enable 2SV
Getting 2SV for your Google account is the safest way to secure your account. Even if you have a strong password, it always makes sense to have a secondary (and more powerful) layer of security.
Google first unveiled plans to make 2SV mandatory in May this year. Not too long ago, the company said it would spend $10 billion over five years to bolster cybersecurity. It also wants to improve open-source security protocols in addition to securing the software supply chain.
“2SV is strongest when it combines both ‘something you know’ (like a password) and ‘something you have’ (like your phone or a security key),” the company said in a blog post last month.
Similarly, YouTube is also mandating 2SV for creators on its platform. First announced in August, the company offered a two-month window until November 1 to adhere to the new security changes. However, this requirement doesn’t apply to accounts that aren’t part of the YouTube Partner Program.
Another Google product, Fitbit, added support for two-factor authentication (2FA) earlier this year. Fitbit accounts contain sensitive data such as location, health metrics, and more. So it is somewhat surprising that the company waited until 2021 to include this.
Head over to Google’s support page for further information on enabling 2SV on your Google account.
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Source: ndroidheadlines.com