Your Google Account becomes impossible to hack with new dual factor authentication

Network USA

Google turns our Android smartphone into a security key to access his account on Chrome. This is a form of double-factor authentication but also based on geolocation: the mobile must be close to the other device on which we want to connect. What better complexity to the pirates.

Google announced at its last conference on the cloud have put in place a new way to protect access to your account. This is a kind of double-factor authentication system that is even more advanced than what we are used to, which requires to connect a validation via its smartphone but also that it is geographically close to the device you want to enter on your Google Account. "The ultimate account security is in your pocket," says the Mountain View firm, which transforms our mobile into a security key.

Protect your Google Account with two-step verification

To take advantage of this feature, your smartphone must be under the version of Android 7.0 Nougat or higher. The other device must be in Chrome OS, MacOS X or Windows 10, Bluetooth compatible, and the connection must be via the Chrome browser. Here are the steps to set up dual factor authentication:

    If you have not already, sign in to your Google Account on your Android smartphone
    Turn on Bluetooth on your mobile and second device
    On your second device, open Chrome and go to this page
    Select Two-Step Validation and click Start
    Enter your password
    Your smartphone should be detected, click on Try Now

There you go ! You will now need to sign in to your Google Account from your smartphone, which should help you avoid any risk of hacking. On the other hand, be careful to keep your smartphone near you. So, are you going to use this feature or do you find it too restrictive? Otherwise, there is also the Google Titan USB key as another double-authentication solution.