People who own an Android smartphone will be happy to learn that they will now have the option to use the device in for a new two-factor authentication protocol. If the device runs Android 7 or better, you will have the option to sign-in to Google apps and services another device by using the device instead of a security dongle.
Google added Security Token
Before they attempt to use the new feature users will have to turn on Bluetooth and connect to a computer with the help of the Chrome browser. The browser will verify the login and authorize the smartphone. The new security protocol can be used to sign-in to Gmail, Google Cloud, G Suite and other Google services which are compatible with the FIDO authentication standard.
Some users may be familiar with another log in methods which involve the use of a smartphone. One of them is Google Prompt. Those who use this method will receive an automatic notification on their smartphone when an attempt to login to a Google service has been detected. The notification includes useful information like the location where the attempt was made and the device which was used in the process. Google Prompt is quite popular but it is still vulnerable to certain spoofing attempts since the person who attempts to log in doesn’t need your device to start to process.
In this day and age using two-factor authentication is almost a must if you wish to keep your accounts safe. Brute-force attacks aren’t as effective as they used to be in the past, but they can still work in some cases. And there are always users who avoid secure passwords as they believe that no one will be able to guess them in the first place.
How to activate two-factor authentication
You can activate the new two-factor authentication by following these steps:
- You will need a device which runs Android 7 or better and a computer which runs Chrome.
- Login to your Google Account on the device and activate Bluetooth.
- Use Chrome to access myaccount.google.com/security and click on two-step verification.
- Click on the add a security key option and select your device.
