Since Google announced its campaign to auto-enrol users for 2-step verification last year, Google has auto-enrolled more than 150 million users in 2 step-verification. Google also stated that the auto-enrolment reduced account hijacking. An excerpt from the note, “the number of accounts hijacked by password theft decreased by 50%.”
The initiative also involved requiring 2 million YouTube users to enable it.
“This decrease speaks volumes to how effective having a second form of verification can be in protecting your data and personal information. And while we’re proud of these initial results and happy with the response we have received from our users and the community, we’re excited about other ongoing work we’re doing behind the scenes,” Google Chrome safety director Guemmy Kim said.
“Today alone, billions of people around the world will use our products to help with things big and small — whether it’s paying for coffee with Google Pay or teaching an online class full of students — and it’s our responsibility to keep your personal information safe and secure. We know that your Gmail is often the link to accessing your non-Google accounts for banking, social media, shopping and more. That’s why the security of Gmail is fundamental to our work to keep you safe online. By making all of our products secure by default, we keep more users safe than anyone else in the world — blocking malware, phishing attempts, spam messages, and potential cyberattacks.”
Further, a Google spokesperson said that the company has come out with other measures, measures that are “secure by default” and is at the forefront of introducing “advanced authentication methods like security keys that enable a simple, more secure sign-in experience for users.”
“These solutions include the Advanced Protection Program, which protects high-risk users such as journalists, celebrities and other public figures, 37% of whom have had their accounts hacked in the last year, according to a recent Google/YouGov poll,” the spokesperson added.
Last year, Google stated that it would offer more protection for “over 10,000 high-risk users” via a partnership with organisations. The partnership will help them furnish free security keys.
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