You can now protect your high-risk Google account with just your phone

2 months ago 22

Google has made it a small easier for those astatine much hazard of targeted online attacks to enroll successful its Advanced Protection Program for Google accounts. Now users tin acceptable it up with a azygous passkey — utilizing the built-in biometric authentication of a Pixel telephone oregon iPhone — alternatively of the 2 carnal information keys the institution antecedently required.

The Advanced Protection Program is aimed not astatine mean users but radical similar those moving connected governmental campaigns oregon journalists with delicate accusation to protect. When it launched, the institution required 2 carnal information keys to activate it, and 1 of those keys positive a password to log successful aft that.

Google changed the diagnostic successful 2023 to let users to motion successful with conscionable a passkey — a passwordless login method that enables users to securely motion successful to their accounts, apps, and services utilizing built-in authentication connected their devices. But you’d inactive request the 2 carnal information keys to really acceptable it up.

To crook connected the program, you tin spell to Google’s Advanced Protection Program page and click “Get started,” past the leafage volition usher you done setup. At the end, you’ll person an enactment to acceptable up with a passkey oregon a carnal information key. The institution besides requires betterment methods similar your telephone fig and an email code oregon a 2nd passkey successful lawsuit you get locked retired of your account.

It’s precise casual to bash — successful fact, I conscionable did it myself. All I had to bash was constituent my iPhone astatine a QR codification successful my browser and authenticate with Face ID.

What are passkeys?

Passkeys tin regenerate accepted passwords with your device’s ain authentication methods. That way, you tin motion successful to Gmail, PayPal, oregon iCloud conscionable by activating Face ID connected your iPhone, your Android phone’s fingerprint sensor, oregon with Windows Hello connected a PC. 

Built on WebAuthn (or Web Authentication) tech, 2 antithetic keys are generated erstwhile you make a passkey: 1 stored by the website oregon work wherever your relationship is and a backstage cardinal stored connected the instrumentality you usage to verify your identity.

Of course, if passkeys are stored connected your device, what happens if it gets breached oregon lost? Since passkeys enactment crossed aggregate devices, you whitethorn person a backup available. Many services that enactment passkeys volition besides reauthenticate to your telephone fig oregon email code oregon to a hardware information key, if you person one.

Apple’s and Google’s password vaults already enactment passkeys, and truthful bash password managers similar 1Password and Dashlane. 1Password has besides created an online directory listing services that let users to motion successful utilizing a passkey.

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