When in doubt, a password is not enough to protect an account. If it is guessed, hacked or stolen, the user is at a disadvantage. But what is the point of additional security?
By the end of last year, Google activated an additional security query when logging in for 150 million user accounts, known as two-factor authentication (2FA). This means that in addition to the password, you have to “identify” yourself with another so-called factor in order to get into the account. This can be a code that a 2FA app outputs on the smartphone.
Google evaluates 2FA experience
For those who might be wondering if it’s really worth the extra effort, presents Google now provides a preliminary empirical value from a sample of 2 million YouTube accounts that have been converted to 2FA with the 150 million user accounts. Since then, instances of unauthorized account intrusion in the sample have decreased by 50 percent.
Google therefore wants to continue to gradually activate 2FA for all accounts. If you are not yet using the additional verification, you can of course switch on 2FA directly yourself. The is working in the Google account under “Security/Sign in with Google/2-Step Verification”. If you still have doubts about the suitability for everyday use of Google’s 2FA, you risk nothing by activating it. 2FA can also be switched off again.
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Not only Google offers 2FA
Two-factor authentication is not only offered by Google, it is now available for almost all large and many smaller services. Users should enable 2FA wherever possible, advises the Federal Office for Information Security. A quick look at the respective account settings reveals whether 2FA is available for a service or not.