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Google introduces new Gmail account recovery mode.<\/p>\n
SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Updated October 18 with a warning from Check Point Software security experts regarding the potential dangers of the latest Gmail recovery contacts feature.<\/p>\n
With a new Google two-factor authentication code theft warning<\/a> hitting the headlines, the threat of being locked out of your Gmail account has once again moved to the forefront of security-minded users of the world\u2019s most popular email platform. Google itself has not only confirmed updates<\/a> mitigating the latest 2FA threat, but has now gone one step further by introducing a new security feature. This feature is designed to help if the worst happens and you find yourself locked out of your account due to hacker action, device loss, or password amnesia. Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the recovery contacts setting that is rolling out as I type.<\/p>\n ForbesGoogle Suddenly Updates Chrome \u2014 What You Need To Know And DoBy Davey Winder<\/a>Locked Out Of Your Gmail Account? Google\u2019s Recovery Contacts Feature Can Help<\/p>\n With attacks against Google accounts, and that means your Gmail account as well, spiking by 84% across the past year, according to Google<\/a>, with password-stealing email threats the prime culprit, taking account recovery<\/a> seriously is long overdue if you have overlooked it so far. <\/p>\n However, as Claire Forszt and Sriram Karra from Google\u2019s Identity and Engagement team, have now confirmed, even if you have taken steps to help recover an account you can no longer access, such as by way of one-time SMS code, for example, \u201cthat can be hard if you lost your phone or haven\u2019t updated your recovery phone number.\u201d<\/p>\n Which is why Google is rolling out a brand new security feature called Recovery Contacts<\/a> to reinforce the Gmail account recovery precisely at those times of most stress when you need help immediately. <\/p>\n The Recovery Contacts setting enables Gmail users to choose trusted contacts, family members or close friends to provide help if ever they find themselves locked out and unable to receive a recovery code for any reason. \u201cIt\u2019s a simple, secure way to turn to people you trust when other recovery options aren\u2019t available,\u201d Forszt and Karra said.<\/p>\n ForbesLastPass Warns Of Hack Threat, Says \u2018Do Not Change Master Password\u2019By Davey Winder<\/a>Check Point Software Expert Warns Of Potential Gmail Recovery Contacts Hacking Threat<\/p>\n While I am 100% supportive of Google adding the Recovery Contacts feature to its armory of Gmail user defenses, some security experts have sounded an alert regarding a \u201csense of safety that isn\u2019t always justified\u201d that such features can create. Those were the precise words of Aaron Rose, a security architect with the office of the chief technology officer at Check Point Software, said. \u201cIf users believe Google\u2019s new warnings and recovery methods will catch everything,\u201d Rose told me, \u201cthey may let their guard down against more subtle or AI-generated scams.\u201d I mean, Rose has a point, especially given the evolution of deepfakes that are getting harder and harder to detect. But in my never humble opinion, that doesn\u2019t mean this is a dangerous security feature; it just means that users need to remember that there is no such thing as a silver bullet in security, and the basics of threat awareness need to remain in place alongside such settings. <\/p>\n \u201cAny system that relies on human trust (like designating recovery contacts) can be socially engineered,\u201d Rose continued, warning that \u201cattackers could manipulate or impersonate a trusted contact to gain account access.\u201d Precisely the event that the Recovery Contacts feature is designed to help Gmail users recover from, and precisely why it is needed in the first place. Of course, using passkeys, having 2FA enabled<\/a>, and being aware of the dangers that are out there are essential and should not be dismissed as a result. Just know that this feature is a backup resource should the worst happen.<\/p>\n