Microsoft plugs a serious hole in Windows – Your options after Windows 7 end of life – iPhones as security keys for Google accounts

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And it doesn’t require much more than downloading a dedicated app

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Posted by Christiaan Brand, Product Manager, Google Cloud and Kaiyu Yan, Software Engineer, Google


Phishing—when an online attacker tries to trick you into giving them your username and password—is one of the most common causes of account compromises. We recently partnered with The Harris Poll to survey 500 high-risk users (politicians and their staff, journalists, business executives, activists, online influencers) living in the U.S. Seventy-four percent of them reported having been the target of a phishing attempt or compromised by a phishing attack.

Gmail automatically blocks more than 100 million phishing emails every day and warns people that are targeted by government-backed attackers, but you can further strengthen the security of your Google Account by enrolling in the Advanced Protection Program—our strongest security protections that automatically help defend against evolving methods attackers use to gain access to your personal and work Google Accounts and data.

Security keys are an important feature of the Advanced Protection Program, because they provide the strongest protection against phishing attacks. In the past, you had to separately purchase and carry physical security keys. Last year, we built security keys into Android phones—and starting today, you can activate a security key on your iPhone to help protect your Google Account.

Security keys use public-key cryptography to verify your identity and URL of the login page, so that an attacker can’t access your account even if they have your username or password. Unlike other two-factor authentication (2FA) methods that try to verify your sign-in, security keys are built with FIDO standards that provide the strongest protection against automated bots, bulk phishing attacks, and targeted phishing attacks. You can learn more about security keys from our Cloud Next ‘19 presentation.

On your iPhone, the security key can be activated with Google’s Smart Lock app; on your Android phone, the functionality is built in. The security key in your phone uses Bluetooth to verify your sign-in on Chrome OS, iOS, macOS and Windows 10 devices without requiring you to pair your devices. This helps protect your Google Account on virtually any device with the convenience of your phone.

How to get started

Follow these simple steps to help protect your personal or work Google Account today:

• Activate your phone’s security key (Android 7+ or iOS 10+)
• Enroll in the Advanced Protection Program
• When signing in to your Google Account, make sure Bluetooth is turned on on your phone and the device you’re signing in on.

We also highly recommend registering a backup security key to your account and keeping it in a safe place, so you can get into your account if you lose your phone. You can get a security key from a number of vendors, including Google, with our own Titan Security Key.

If you’re a Google Cloud customer, you can find out more about the Advanced Protection Program for the enterprise on our G Suite Updates blog.

Here’s to stronger account security—right in your pocket.