Google Enabling Two-Factor Authentication By DefaultĮver since Google started offering 2FA support, it was an opt-in choice for users. This way, even if attackers get access to a user’s password, they won’t be able to pass through the second verification stage. The user first enters the password and then it is asked to verify again via a security token (passcode) or biometric verification. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a second security defense after password verification. So, Google started offering two-factor authentication (2FA) back in 2011 and urged users to opt for it to enhance their account security. Billions of passwords have been hacked in recent years as per the Google research. However, Google has realized a while ago that only strong passwords are not the solution today. Its Password Manager also informs the users if their passwords are stolen or unsafe. On a daily basis, Google checks 1 billion passwords for breaches. Google has been stressing users to set up strong passwords for a long time now. In fact, 81% of data breaches are found to happen just due to reused, weak, and compromised passwords. This negligence of people has empowered cybercriminals to focus on stealing passwords as the main trick to penetrate systems and networks. So, most people tend to use the same password to access all their accounts, including both personal and work accounts. Since passwords are required in most accounts and apps, it is difficult to set up different passwords for each account/app.

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