Google Comes with the Advanced Protection Feature: How To Activate It?
The American tech giant is constantly working on improving the security and quality of the services it provides. The last measure introduced is the Advanced Protection feature. This new concept has been created to improve users’ security, especially for those at risk of suffering targeted attacks.
Google releases a statement
Google has declared on a recent blog post that the company cares about all users, including a minority who are in danger of suffering more online attacks. This could be the case for journalists who need to protect the confidentiality of their sources or campaign staffers in charge of sensitive information.
According to Google, even the most cautious internet users can be scammed if the hacker planes an attack specifically designed to obtain sensitive information.
If a hacker aims at obtaining the victim’s credentials using phishing scams or malware, he/she will not succeed into accessing the Google account.
How to activate the Advanced Protection feature
For security-minded users interested in activating Google’s Advanced Protection feature, two physical security keys are necessary. The security keys need to work with FIDO Universal 2nd Factor (U2F).
For those who want to know more, U2F is an open authentication standard enabling users to access in a secure manner online services using a device with no drivers.
Using the new feature, the users do not need secret codes via SMS or emails.
To log into a Google account, plug the USB stick into the port and access the smartphone or tablet using a Bluetooth dongle.
The Advanced Protection feature protects Google users against accidental sharing, phishing and fraudulent account access. The physical security key allows the user to access the account only if he/she posses a UF2 security key. By limiting data access and sharing, only Google apps will have access to the user’s account.