Google plans to add end-to-end encryption to Authenticator


Google Authenticator is getting end-to-end encryption — eventually. After security researchers criticized the company for not including it with Authenticator’s account-syncing update, Google product manager Christiaan Brand responded on Twitter by saying that the company has “plans to offer E2EE” in the future.
“Right now, we believe that our current product strikes the right balance for most users and provides significant benefits over offline use,” Brand writes. “However, the option to use the app offline will remain an alternative for those who prefer to manage their backup strategy themselves.”
Earlier this week, Google Authenticator finally started giving users the option to sync two-factor authentication codes with their Google accounts, making it much easier to sign into accounts on new devices.
While this is a welcome change, it also poses some security concerns, as hackers who break into someone’s Google account could potentially gain access to a trove of other accounts as a result. If the feature supported E2EE, hackers and other third parties, including Google, wouldn’t be able to see this information.
Security researchers Mysk highlighted some of these risks in a post on Twitter, noting that “if there’s ever a data breach or if someone obtains access to your Google Account, all of your 2FA secrets would be compromised.” They added that Google could potentially use the information linked to your accounts to serve personalized ads and also advised users not to use the syncing feature until it supports E2EE.
Brand pushed back against the criticism, stating that while Google encrypts “data in transit, and at rest, across our products, including in Google Authenticator,” applying E2EE comes at the “cost of enabling users to get locked out of their own data without recovery.” There’s still no timeline for when Google will actually bring E2EE to Authenticator’s new account-syncing feature, though, leaving users with the option of using the feature without E2EE or just continuing to use Google Authenticator offline.
Google Authenticator is getting end-to-end encryption — eventually. After security researchers criticized the company for not including it with Authenticator’s account-syncing update, Google product manager Christiaan Brand responded on Twitter by saying that the company has “plans to offer E2EE” in the future. “Right now, we believe that our current…
Recent Posts
- Major website hijacking scam sees over 35,000 sites attacked, redirected to gambling sites, so be on your guard
- The ups and downs of the iPhone 16E
- The US Is Considering a TP-Link Router Ban—Should You Worry?
- There’s Nothing left to hide as leaked videos reveal the Phone 3A in full
- North Korean hackers are posing as software development recruiters to target freelancers
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010