If you use Gmail, there’s one change you should make immediately to keep your account secure
Update your access methods and protect your personal information from growing digital threats.
If you’re a Gmail user, it’s time to review your account settings. Google has issued a clear warning: to keep your account secure, you must leave traditional passwords behind and adopt more modern access methods.
With digital attacks on the rise (more than $14.1 billion was stolen by cybercriminals in the last year alone), the technology company is urging its users to urgently update their login systems. In particular, it promotes the use of passkeys, a technology that allows authentication by fingerprint, facial recognition or PIN code.
“We want to move beyond passwords altogether, while keeping sign-ins as easy as possible, so we strongly encourage using modern methods like Sign in with Google and passkeys,” said Evan Kotsovinos, Google’s VP of Privacy, Safety & Security, according to Google’s blog.
Although younger generations, such as Gen Z, have already adapted to these technologies, data indicates that more than 60% of Generation X and baby boomers still use simple passwords, making them easy targets for hackers. In addition, only 30% of users employ secure login methods on a daily basis.
Google recommends that those not yet ready to abandon passwords altogether at least turn on two-step verification, an additional layer of security that sends a unique code to a user’s phone if someone tries to log into their account from an unknown device.
How to activate the access keys?
- Log in to your Google account
- Go to the “Security” section
- Select “How you sign in to Google”
- Click on “Passkeys and security keys” and follow the instructions to configure them
This change not only aims to strengthen protection against cyber-attacks, but also to simplify the login process. It is a necessary transformation in a context where cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
The conclusion is clear: if you are still using weak or repeated passwords, it’s time to move to a more secure system. Your Gmail account (and all your personal information) will be much better protected.
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