Gmail's Advanced Protection Program against Hackers

If you’re an investigative journalist or activist who uses Gmail, this new feature is definitely designed to help you stay safe from hacking, that is, if you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of convenience.

The Advanced Protection Program for Gmail means your account can only be accessed by using both a password and a physical security key, which could be an actual USB drive or wireless key enabled via phone.

 This means that, even if a hacker gets your credential through phishing, that’s still not going to be enough to enter your account.

 The feature was first announced on Google’s blog:

 “Journalists, human rights defenders, environment campaigners and civil society activists working on any number of sensitive issues can quickly find themselves targeted by well-resourced and highly capable adversaries […] For those whose work may cause their profile to become more visible, setting this up could be seen as an essential preventative step.”