10,000 high risk Google users are being provided with security keys

The USB keys offer two-factor authentication - a further layer of security on the far side of an arcanum.

Google says it desires to encourage individuals to affix its "advanced protection program" for high-profile users.

It follows news that the firm sent thousands of warnings to Gmail users WHO were targeted by hackers.

The warnings were issued when Google detected in late Sep a campaign targeting fourteen thousands Gmail users "across a large kind of industries", Shane Huntley, director of Google's Threat Analysis cluster aforementioned during a statement.

Mr Huntley aforementioned the campaign came from APT28 - a Russia-linked hacking cluster - and was a phishing try, that is associate degree email campaign designed to seem legitimate to trick individuals into revealing their passwords. APT28, conjointly called Fancy Bear, maybe a hacking cluster the North American nation and Britain governments say is operated by Russian military intelligence.

The cluster has targeted Google users in a number of its highest-profile attacks.

In 2016, holler Secureworks disclosed the size and scope of a phishing campaign by the cluster that targeted nearly 4,000 Gmail accounts "and company and organizational email accounts that used Gmail as a service".

The accounts targeted enclosed "staff operating for or related to mountaineer Clinton's presidential campaign and therefore the Democratic National Committee".

Material obtained in this attack was leaked in an associate degree alleged plan to influence the North American national election.

Mr. Huntley aforementioned {in a|during a|in associate degree exceedingly|in a very} Twitter thread that the most recent warnings shouldn't come back as a surprise "if you're an activist/journalist/government official, or add NatSec [National Security]".

But he stressed that obtaining a warning failed to mean you had been hacked. Shortly after when news of the warnings, the firm declared efforts to extend the protection of accounts of users at high risk of being targeted by hackers.

Google declared it'd be causing ten thousands users free "Titan" security keys. they're ordinarily on the market to shop for at a price beginning at £30 ($41).

In a diary post, the corporate aforementioned it had partnered with a variety of organizations to assist distribute the keys.

The firm conjointly recently declared plans to "auto-enroll a further one hundred fifty million Google users" into its two-factor authentication system, and need 2 million YouTube creators to activate it.

It combines each "something you know" (like a password) associate degreed "something you have" (like your phone or a security key) so as to prevent an offender WHO has, or guesses, your arcanum gaining access to your account.

In May, the corporate aforementioned it'd begin mechanically enrolling users into the safer method.