Communications of the ACM
Tech Companies Push Users to Adopt Two-Factor Authentication
Regarding two-factor authentication, Mark Risher of Googles Android operating system and the former head of its security and identity teams said, We think that this is now table stakes.
Credit: Katie Deighton
Technology companies are more aggressively urging their users to utilize two-factor authentication (2FA), with some making the process mandatory.
Digital-security professionals blame hesitancy to enroll in 2FA on users' overconfidence in passwords, aggravation or confusion during setup, or inertia.
Google said it intends to automatically enroll 150 million Google and 2 million YouTube accounts in its two-step verification program by year's end, requiring users to log in with passwords, plus a code sent via an application or text, or a physical security key plugin.
Meanwhile, Amazon's Ring smart-home company last year mandated 2FA for all users following criticism that customers' home cameras could easily be accessed by others.
Companies also are developing more user-friendly verification tools, such as multifactor-authentication apps like Google Authenticator and Authy, which ask users to confirm identity by pushing a button or entering a code from another device.
From The Wall Street Journal
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