Google distributing 10,000 security keys to journalists, elected officials, human rights activists

By Adam Bannister for The Daily Swig
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

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While anyone can enrol with APP, it has been “specifically designed for individuals and organizations at higher risk of targeted online attacks, such as elected officials, political campaigns, human rights activists and journalists”, said Google in a blog post.

No silver bullet

Ilia Kolochenko, founder of web security firm ImmuniWeb, hailed Google’s announcement, saying it should “inspire other IT giants” to provide similar support to vulnerable groups.

But the initiative is no silver bullet, he warned, given sophisticated threat actors can still bypass two-factor authentication (2FA), leaving unencrypted data vulnerable.

“Moreover, the data oftentimes resides in several locations, for example, journalists frequently receive valuable reports and hints from whistleblowers who will now likely become the new target of cybercriminals,” he added.

The scheme would also be helpless to protect users living under authoritarian regimes if refusal to unlock their devices landed them in jail, said Kolochenko.

“Nonetheless,” he added, “the ongoing efforts undertaken by Google are certainly better than non-feasance and will definitely prevent some cyber-attacks.” Read Full Article