For those worried about the threat of being hacked — and these days, who isn’t? — Google is here to help. The company is rolling out an optional extra layer of security for all Google accounts, mostly to boost the confidence of Gmail and Google Docs users.
The two-step verification process should be familiar to just about anyone who’s signed up for an online banking account. The first step is a regular password; the second step involves a code number sent to your mobile phone. You get the code via text message or an automated call, then enter it on the website. And if that’s too much of a hassle, there’s also an app — called Google Authenticator — for iPhone, Android or BlackBerry that will generate a code for you.
This isn’t a new technology for Google. Two-step verification has been offered to enterprise users since September, when it was implemented in Google Apps. For Google account holders, it’s opt-in. And no, you don’t have to go through the mobile verification part every time you want to check your Gmail. The two steps only kick in when you’re logging into your Google account on a new web browser, through a new application or on a new mobile device.
As Google points out, it is devilishly easy for a hacker to access large chunks of your online life once he knows your password, especially if you don’t change it from site to site. “There are plenty of examples (like the classic ‘Mugged in London‘ scam) that demonstrate why it’s important to take steps to help secure your activities online,” writes Google Security product manager Nishit Shah on the Official Google Blog.
“Your Gmail account, your photos, your private documents—if you reuse the same password on multiple sites and one of those sites gets hacked, or your password is conned out of you directly through a phishing scam, it can be used to access some of your most closely-held information.”
The idea behind two-step verification is that it relies on something you know — your password — as well as something you have — your phone. A hacker or a thief may gain access to one of them, the theory goes, but it’s far more unlikely that they’ll have both.
Which is all well and good, but it also means that there’s a new golden rule for Google account holders: Never, ever store your password anywhere on your mobile device.
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