Half fewer Google accounts hacked after enabling two-step verification

Since Google enabled two-step verification for some 150 million accounts, the number of hacked accounts has halved. The tech giant writes that in a blog .

Google decided in May to automatically turn on two-step verification for accounts that are “configured correctly”. This concerns users who had already added a telephone number, but had not yet enabled the function. In total, this concerns 150 million accounts and 2 million users on YouTube.

Two-step verification adds an extra layer of security to online accounts. Often a text message with a unique code is sent to a user’s phone. The user must then enter this code. Because the phone of the owner of the account is then needed to log in, it is made more difficult for hackers.

“Using a mobile device to log in gives people a more secure experience than using just a password,” Google’s chief of login and chief of product management Mark Risher said.