Google account hacks dropped by half after pushing two-step authentication by default
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Nudging users toward security works.
That's the top-line finding four months into Google's initiative to enroll users in two-factor authentication by default, detailed in a blog post to coincide with Safer Internet Day on February 8th.
In October 2021, the company announced plans to turn on two-factor authentication by default for 150 million Google users who were not currently using the service and to require 2 million YouTube creators to use it. In the latest post, Google says it observed a 50 percent decrease in accounts being compromised among that test user group.
The strategy shows the power of a tech giant like Google to provide security by default and fits into a years-long project to move users toward a more robust security...