Google Claims That Enabling 2FA Reduces Account Breaches by Half

Google’s choice to make two-factor authentication mandatory looks to have paid off. According to the search company, account breaches decreased by 50% among users who had 2FA (two-step verification in Google-speak) activated by default. According to Google, the drop is proof that the extra factor is “effective” in protecting your data, though the actual number of affected accounts has not been disclosed.

The company did not indicate how quickly it anticipated 2FA to expand, but it did guarantee to continue the deployment until 2022. So far, more than 150 million users have been auto-enrolled, including more than 2 million YouTube creators.

In addition, the business announced further security updates to commemorate Safer Internet Day. Google will allow users to opt-in to an account-level safe browsing option that will prevent them from visiting known hazardous sites beginning in March. Google Assistant’s privacy-conscious Guest Mode will also be expanded to nine additional languages in the coming months, and the company has committed to beef up security for lawmakers ahead of the US midterm elections.

It’s not surprising that the number of account breaches has decreased – needing more effort to break an account is certain to discourage some would-be attackers. It hasn’t always been simple to demonstrate the actual impact of 2FA on security, but the sheer size of Google’s user base provides a representative sample that others cannot easily match.