Passkey is now the default option to sign in to personal Google Accounts, Royal Hansen, Google’s vice president, announced in a blog post on Thursday.
Passkeys simplify the sign-in process by replacing passwords with faster and more secure alternatives like fingerprints or face scans. This emphasis on passkeys aligns with CISA’s push for stronger password practices and the use of multi-factor authentication.
“This means the next time you sign in to your account, you’ll start seeing prompts to create and use passkeys,” Google said in a blog post announcing its decision to make passkeys the default choice for users. Passkeys have been touted as 40% faster than traditional passwords.
“We envision passkey as the future of authentication and are excited about offering it with Google Accounts and beyond, thanks to our passkey industry partners,” Kim Samra, Google security communications manager, told VPNOverview in an email.
The decision to make passkeys available by default is just one of several new security updates Google unveiled to mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The company said it’s improving the safety of its products to “take the security burden off users.”
Taking ‘the Security Burden off Users’
Google is adding new requirements on large email senders to enhance safety and reduce spam in Gmail inboxes. From 2024, bulk senders will be mandated to authenticate their emails, offer easy unsubscription, and maintain a low spam threshold. This move builds on CISA’s advocacy for more robust security practices and is designed to echo their goals.
Google is also making it easier to clear your recent Chrome browsing history on Android devices and is bringing dark web reports to the Google mobile app. Google’s dark web monitoring allows users to check if their Gmail account has been compromised.
“Just sign in to the Google App and tap your profile picture to open the menu,” Hansen said in the blog post. “Dark web report can be found in the account menu on Android and will be coming soon to iOS.”
Google is also set to release a series of instructional videos on best practices for cybersecurity. These videos, created in collaboration with CISA, will emphasize the importance of recognizing and reporting phishing attempts, a concern flagged by both organizations.
Highlighting Gmail’s defenses, Google said in another blog post that its AI-backed defenses filter out over 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware, which amounts to blocking about 15 billion unwanted emails every day.
It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
This month marks the 20th year of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This year’s “Secure Our World: 2023 and Beyond” campaign by CISA underscores the collective need to safeguard the online world. CISA outlines four basic tips for staying safe online, namely:
- Use strong passwords
- Turn on multi-factor authentication
- Be watchful for phishing attacks and report them
- Keep your apps up-to-date
Read our guide to staying safe online for more basic cybersecurity tips that can go a long way to keep you safe online.
Here’s CISA Director Jen Easterly outlining basic cybersecurity steps:
For more news, follow us on X (Twitter), Threads, and Mastodon!
