Making sure that our online accounts are safe and secure is more important in this day and age than ever before. As online threats continue to increase day by day, it’s imperative that we use all the tools at our disposal to ensure that our accounts remain protected. Like many other online services, Gmail offers two-factor authentication as an additional layer of security to users, but it turns out that more than 90 precent of Gmail users don’t use two-factor authentication.
Google software engineer Grzegorz Milka revealed at the Usenix Enigma 2018 security conference that more than 90 percent of active Gmail accounts have not been protected with two-factor authentication.
Two-factor or two-step authentication is an additional layer of security that many online services offer today. It requires the user’s password and an additional form of authentication such as a code sent to their registered mobile number. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access when the user’s password gets stolen, particularly when they’re using the same password for multiple online accounts.
Milka was asked why doesn’t just Google make two-factor authentication mandatory for all of its users. He said that Google doesn’t do that due to usability concerns. “It’s about how many people would we drive out if we force them to use additional security,” he said.
If you’re one of those Gmail users that haven’t taken advantage of this security feature, it would only be in your own best interests to do so.
Filed in . Read more about GMail.