Gmail Will Soon Make a Huge Change on How You Authenticate Your Account
1 min read
Summary
In the coming months, Google is making a major change to the way it verifies phone numbers for its Gmail customers, moving from SMS verification to QR codes, which users will need to scan using the camera app on their phone.
This is part of a wider move towards greater security, coming as hackers find ways to abuse current SMS authentication protocols.
This includes so-called SIM swaps, where hackers convince a user’s phone company to transfer their number to a new SIM, as well as intercepting SMS messages in transit.
Google encourages users to adopt authenticator apps, as these offer more secure protocols.
At the same time, Google, along with other online service providers, is moving away from passwords to passkeys, which the company says makes the login process easier and more secure.
