Old-style passwords are no longer secure! Google is urging users to upgrade their accounts and change their passkeys to prevent fraud

Google recently confirmed that 61% of email users had been attacked, and in the text messaging section, almost all U.S. mobile phone users were affected.

Google warns that more than 60% of U.S. users have experienced an increase in scams in the past year, and more than half have experienced data breaches. And surprisingly, almost all of our users haven’t upgraded their accounts to improve their security.

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Google notes that most users still rely on traditional login methods, such as passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA), despite a strong push for more secure login methods, such as passkeys and social media accounts (such as Google Sign-in).

By age, Gen Z users skip outdated passwords and use passkeys or social media logins more often, but are also more likely to reuse passwords and change passwords less often. Google emphasizes that passwords are not only difficult to manage, but also easier targets for phishing attacks and often leaked in data breaches, and recommends that users use tools that automatically protect their accounts against fraud, and upgrade their accounts immediately.

Google says the goal now is to eliminate passwords altogether, while making it easier to log in, such as logging in to social media accounts, and more importantly to promote the use of passkeys. “Passkeys are anti-phishing and can be logged in directly with the method you use to unlock your device, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, without the need for a password.”

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By adding a passkey to their Google account, users can sign in to their favorite websites and apps with their Google account, which significantly reduces the number of accounts they need to manage. Put simply, because the passkey is tied to your hardware (primarily your phone), your security device becomes a digital key to your critical account.

Microsoft is moving faster, and the company has aggressively pushed users to remove passwords altogether, as long as the password exists, it can pose a risk to the account. While it is not yet possible for users to completely remove passwords from their Google accounts, they can avoid using passwords and change 2FA from SMS verification to only using options that connect to the device, such as an authenticator app or Google Authenticator prompt.