Google moves to 2FA!

Around the beginning of this month, I received an email from Google services. There was a big header that said Soon you’ll sign in with 2-Step Verification, and a message.

After you enter your password, you'll complete a second step on your phone. Keep your phone nearby when you sign in.

2-Step Verification will be turned on automatically on December 8. You can turn this on sooner if you want - your account is all set.

What this basically means

Google implemented Two-factor Authentication for its users. For those who don't know what that is, I wrote an informational piece about it back in 2018. Instead of just having to key in a password to access your services, there is an extra step - the second authentication method - of having to key in a response when a notification is sent to your mobile phone.

And sure enough, on the 8th of this month, when I tried to access my GMail account, after keying in the password, this appeared on screen.

Additional
authentication step.

And this appeared on my phone.

Mobile
confirmation.

Google is by no means alone in this. Microsoft already has support for 2FA for its services such as Outlook and Teams, though that feature is, for now, largely optional.

How I feel about this

Damn, this is a pain in the ass. But oh, so necessary. Security has become a pressing concern (more so than usual, anyway) with people losing control of their accounts due to hacker intrusions and theft of passwords. Adding to the concern is a general lack of paranoia in the user base.

What Google has done, is balance necessity against convenience. Of course it would be a lot nicer to be able to access our accounts without that hassle. But things have arrived at a point where this is no longer a viable option. This ramping up of security protocol is one-way - there is no going back from this, and as intruders up their game in future as they undoubtedly will, even more stringent measures will be required.

This moves also excludes a small percentage of users - namely, those who have a Google account but not a mobile phone. Unthinkable in this day and age? Yes, very. But not entirely out of the question. Still, Google seems to have decided that it is a risk worth taking.

What's in store?

Who's next? Google has taken that step. It isn't at all far-fetched to think that the likes of Twitter and Instagram are far behind.

Yes. This is really me.
T___T