Africa-Press – Kenya. Google has announced the expansion of its two-step verification (2SV) process for log-ins to enhance account security.
This is after its newly introduced two-step verification initiative saw a 50 per cent drop in account breaches for 150 million Gmail and 2 million YouTube creator accounts under the 2SV initiative.
The 2SV introduces the use of mobile phones to confirm a user’s identity every time one accesses their Google account from a different device.
Aligning with this year’s global Safer Internet Day theme, “Together for a better Internet”, Google is actively working on new technologies that will provide a secure, seamless sign-in experience and eliminate reliance on passwords that have turned out to be a major cause for data breaches and phishing attempts.
Users often find passwords hard to remember and have to update them regularly.
“We don’t just plug security holes, we work to eliminate entire classes of threats for people who depend on our services. Today alone, billions of people around the world will use our products to help with conducting e-payment transactions or teaching an online class full of students. It is our responsibility to keep users’ personal information safe and secure,” Public Policy and Government Relations Manager for Kenya and Eastern Africa Michael Murungi said.
Google provides users with tools like Security Checkup which gives actionable recommendations on how to strengthen the security of a Google Account.
In 2021, Google accelerated its journey to eliminating password threats by starting to auto-enrol users in 2SV giving people an extra layer of protection when cybercriminals try to hack into their accounts.
Through the initiative, users made more than 1.5 billion Security Checkups.
Murungi said that this decrease speaks volumes to how having a second form of verification can be effective in protecting your data and personal information.
“And while we are proud of these initial results and happy with the response we have received from our users and the community, we are excited about other ongoing behind the scenes work intended to make our users even safer,” Murungi added.
To improve online security, Google recommends that users take regular Security Check-Ups that allow a user to prepare their account for recovery by adding a phone number and a backup email to their accounts.
It strengthens the accounts and fends off bad actors from gaining access to gain access to your account.
Google also recommends the use of Google Password Manager built directly into Chrome, Android, and the Google App to create strong passwords for every online account from shopping, banking, e-learning portals, among other uses.
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