Google plans to upgrade two-factor authentication tool after high-profile hacks

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google plans on upgrading its two-factor authentication tool with an improved, physical security measure aimed at protecting high-profile users from politically motivated cyberattacks, according to a report from Bloomberg. The new service, to be called Advanced Protection Program and potentially slated to launch next month, will trade out the standard authentication process for services like Gmail and Google Drive with physical USB security keys. The service would also restrict the types of third-party apps and services that could connect to a user’s Google account.

The changes are not likely to affect standard Google account owners, as Bloomberg reports that Google “plans to market the product to corporate executives, politicians and others with heightened security concerns.” Following the 2016 hack of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s Gmail account, which was the result of a phishing attack with links to the Russian government, Google began looking into measures that would improve security for users in possession of sensitive material and those in a position of political prominence. The new physical security keys, which will require users keep them plugged in to access the additional security controls, should make it more difficult to remotely gain control of someone’s Gmail or Google Drive account.

https://www.theverge.com

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Mark Zuckerberg asks for forgiveness from ‘those I hurt this year’ in Yom Kippur message

Just days after the 2016 Presidential Election, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that it was “pretty crazy” to think that his company had influenced the election’s outcome in a meaningful way. He’s had an about-face on that line of thinking since then, and at the end of Yom Kippur, he’s publicly asked for forgiveness “for those I hurt this year,” and pledged to do better.

Facebook has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following revelations that Russian companies bought ads and organized pro-Trump rallies during the 2016 presidential election, and after it was discovered that hate groups could advertise to users who liked specific anti-Semitic categories. In his post, Zuckerberg acknowledged that Facebook has had a divisive effect on the country, and that he’ll work to do better in the coming year.

But as TechCrunch points out, Facebook itself needs to do better to improve its efforts in combating the spread of false information and abuse that appears throughout its platform. It and other social media sites have often touted themselves as a neutral platforms for all ideas and beliefs, but underestimate how these ideals can be undermined, which led to tangible impacts in the real world. Zuckerberg may be sincere in his intentions, but the company he founded needs to follow through on them.

We’ve reached out to Facebook for additional comment, and will update this post if we hear back.

https://www.theverge.com/

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