Google announced in May that it would enable two-factor authentication, or two-step verification, by default. This will increase security for many accounts. It is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Google reminds us once more of that plan in a blog post. Google will make two-factor authentication available for 150 million additional accounts by the end this year.
Google stated that only 10% of its active accounts used two-factor authentication in 2018. Since then, it has been encouraging, pushing, and encouraging people who have not enabled the setting to do so. To protect their channels against takeover, more than 2,000,000 YouTube creators will need to enable two-factor authentication. Google claims it has partnered up with organizations to distribute more than 10,000 hardware security keys each year. The push for two-factor technology has made it available to all users, regardless of whether they use Android or iPhone.
A password manager is a tool that can help users protect their accounts. Google claims that it now checks more than a billion passwords per day through its built-in manager on Chrome, Android and the Google App. Chrome can automatically fill in logins for iOS users. Google claims that it will soon be able to generate passwords for other applications, making things even simpler. You will soon be able to view all your passwords saved directly from the Google App Menu.
Google's Inactive Account Manager is highlighted. You will need to decide what happens to your account in the event that you stop using it, or are unable to.
Google introduced the feature in 2013. You can choose a timeout period that will allow you to suspend your account for up to 18 months before Inactive Account Manager protocols kick in. In case you have forgotten your login or switched accounts, Google will send you an email one month before the limit expires. You have the option to have your data deleted or forwarded to trusted contacts. Google's blog post explains that inactivity led to the attack on the Colonial Pipeline earlier this year. For security reasons, you don't want your digital information sitting around for hackers.
