Google adds new security to user accounts

Google has improved the security of user accounts in recent weeks. Today, four new features have been announced, specifically aimed at protecting an account before and after someone logs in. In addition, a new feature has been unveiled that makes accounts easier to restore if they are hacked.

That’s what Google writes in a new blog. The updates were revealed by product manager Jonathan Skelker, who announced that it is no longer possible to log into a Google Account if JavaScript – the programming language used to enable interactive web pages – is disabled.

Four new features

Google does this because JavaScript is the main tool for determining whether a user is at risk when trying to log in. If JavaScript is disabled, Google will not be able to run those tests. By the way, users hardly ever switch off JavaScript, but malware bots do so all the more. According to Skelker, approximately 0.01 percent of users are affected.

A second feature alerts users about possible malware apps on their Android phones. According to Google, it can notify people via the Google Play Protect scanner, which has a list of malware apps. This can also be viewed via the Google Security Checkup menu.

Function three is a warning to users when they are about to share their account information with third party websites and apps. We’ll notify you when you give a third party site or app access to sensitive data – such as your Gmail data or Google Contacts – but we’ll expand this over the next few weeks so you’ll know if you’re sharing other data from your Google Account.

Finally, Google changes the procedure that allows users to restore a hacked account. Google lets users confirm certain settings, check and secure their other Google accounts, check financial activity and see if any data is missing.