Google Cloud Is Making MFA Required for All Users

Although the new authentication layer already protects 70% of Google users' accounts, Google Cloud is encouraging all accounts to benefit from the enhanced security and will start a gradual adoption this month.

Google Cloud intends to start by reminding businesses to begin using MFA for their users. According to a Google statement, "there will be useful reminders and information in the Google Cloud console starting this month, including resources to help raise awareness, plan your rollout, conduct testing, and smoothly enable MFA for your users."

All new Google Cloud users and current users who login in using a password will be required to adopt MFA starting in early 2025.

Users will need to enroll in MFA in order to continue utilizing the Google Cloud Console, Firebase Console, gCloud, and other sites where they will be receiving notifications and instructions. All customers that federate authentication into Google Cloud will need MFA by the end of 2025, when the final phase is anticipated to be finished.

According to the firm, users will have the choice to add an additional layer of MFA through their Google accounts in addition to enabling MFA with their primary identity provider before accessing Google Cloud.

“We’ve always prioritized protecting your identity in order to keep your account and sensitive information safe, and we use a variety of risk-based signals to quickly detect if an account is compromised and subsequently help users restore it securely,” Google Cloud continued.

When the corporation implemented 2-step verification (2SV) for millions of customers in 2011, it made its first foray into MFA. Passkeys, which enable users to sign in using their fingerprint or facial recognition, were developed as a result of the introduction of phishing-resistant security keys in 2014.