2SV or two-step verification has proven to be effective in stopping hackers from stealing users' passwords. With that, Google could be trying to move away from passwords completely.
Two-Step Verification Proven Effective as Amount of Hacks Drop in Half
During the last three months of 2021, 150 million accounts were automatically enrolled by Google to two-step verification or 2SV. Amongst the 150 million accounts were 2 million YouTubers and the results of this move dropped the total number of hacks in half.
2SV works by combining a password and another login challenge like a confirmation message in a hardware security key or a Google app. The requirement resulted in compromises being half as likely when accounts had 2SV enabled compared to the password-only accounts as per a blog by Google.
Google's Push Towards a More Secure User Experience
According to the story by CNet, Google noted that this decrease shows how effective the 2SA verification can become when it comes to protecting a users' personal information and data. To add, as of the moment, Google already has an incentive for pushing users towards a stronger login system.
Google currently has billions of account holders for Google Workspace, Gmail, and YouTube. With that, the article by CNet notes that moving towards 2FA is a huge step for a lot of people but also most likely not the last one as more and more companies are trying to fix the shortcomings that password-only logins bring.
How to Find Out If Your Data is Compromised
The publication notes that forgetting passwords, reusing passwords, and having weak passwords have been ongoing problems. There is a website called Have I Been Pwned, which allows users to know whether their sensitive information has been leaked, and as of the moment, it has found over 613 million passwords in data breaches.
A more thorough security practice is to enable multifactor authentication, which decreases the likelihood of hackers stealing passwords from one's account. Multifactor authentication also makes it easier for accounts once passwords are finally dumped.
Google is Looking to Phase Out Passwords
As of the moment, Microsoft is also trying to promote no-password authentication through the use of biometric technology like the Windows Hello face identification, security keys, and phone-based authentication apps.
Google is also hoping to "phase out passwords" sometime in the future. Google has already been quite a proponent when it comes to using hardware security keys which are small devices that connect through USB ports or wirelessly.
The use of hardware security keys was also able to help wipe out phishing attacks on employees of Google. The keys, however, do present a new challenge since they can be quite complex to use and also a bit expensive.
Related Article: Microsoft Edge Version 98.0.1108.43 'Prioritizes Security' in New Browser Mode
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Written by Urian B.
