Titan Security Key Bundle by Google Cloud

The Titan Security Key Bundle from Google Cloud adds a layer of security to your Google, and other accounts that support the FIDO Alliance standards. The keys helped Google themselves manage a full year without any employee account being compromised. Many users avoid Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on their accounts, and most don't even use it on their most important account, their email. It was reported that less than 10% of Gmail users have set-up 2FA in some form. Google offers a wide variety ranging from text codes, use of the Google Authenticator App (Google Play / Apple App Store), and Google Prompt which is a device notification that pops up on your screen asking if you're trying to sign into your account. Assuming of course, you didn't give your phone to someone else or lose it without wiping/locking it.

Lemacks Media requires and uses 2FA for all of our internal services, and most importantly all client facing services like Hosting and Google G Suite.

Titan Security Key unboxing


[gallery columns="5" size="large" link="file" ids="1152,1153,1154,1155,1156"]

With the Titan Security Key bungle you receive a USB Security Key, Bluetooth/NFC Security Key, Micro-USB Cable, and USB-A to USB-C adapter which works both on mobile devices as well as laptops/PC's.

I am pleasantly surprised that the USB-A to USB-C Adapter is USB 3.1 as the adapter that comes with all 3 Pixels is USB 2.0 still. The disappointing part is that the Bluetooth/NFC key still uses Micro-USB rather than USB-C, which means in the event the key dies when you need to use it, you can't just use your phones charging cable to power it up. You will need to either carry the extra cable with you, or carry the physical key/adapter or both. Carrying the physical key and adapter to me is the more logical route as it does work on mobile devices.

Another potentially troubling issue is that that manufacturer of the 2 keys are not the same. The USB Titan Security Key is made by Yubico, is well known and well respected security company, while the Bluetooth/NFC Titan Security key is made by Chinese company Feitian Technologies which is part of a Chinese Military Alliance. Or, it is at a minimum made with the same parts and standards as the one created by Feitian. Google has not acknowledged any potential issues, however since it uses the FIDO Web Authentication API, and not some custom API it realistically should be fine so long as there haven't been firmware modifications by Feitian that Google in unaware of.

Setting Up


The setup of the Titan Security Keys are very straightforward, simply visit your Google Account page > Security Settings > expand 2-Step Verification.

Google Account Security

When you sign in, you will receive a prompt like this after entering your password.

Google 2FA Security Screen

And that's it, you can also check to see if your other various accounts support the standard, if they do, you can set it up there as well. Get your Titan Security Key Bundle from the Google Store.

 


Visit Lemacks Media https://lemacksmedia.com/news/01/21/titan-security-key-bundle-by-google-cloud/ for updates and more content.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gmail confidential mode launching on by default on June 25, 2019

Image
Originally Posted on Google's G Suite Updates Blog What’s changing Earlier this year, we announced the launch of Gmail confidential mode for G Suite in beta. On June 25, 2019, this feature will become generally available and your users will have the option to send emails with confidential mode. At launch, confidential mode will be set to default ON for all domains with Gmail enabled, unless you choose to disable this feature (see instructions below). Who’s impacted Admins and end users Why you’d use it Confidential mode provides built-in information rights management controls in your emails by allowing senders to create expiration dates and revoke previously sent messages. Because a sender can require additional authentication via text message to view an email, it’s also possible to protect data even if a recipient’s email account has been hijacked while the message is active. Additionally, with confidential mode, recipients don’t have the option to...
Read more

Check out the new G Suite Learning Center

Image
Originally Posted on Google's G Suite Updates Blog What’s changing We’re launching a revamped G Suite Learning Center . Who’s impacted Admins and end users Why you’d use it This completely redesigned site features 300+ guides and customer-friendly enhancements, including: An Announcements tab with lists of new and updated Learning Center guides. A “Day 1” checklist to help new G Suite users get started on their first day. An improved search function to help you find help and training content across the G Suite Learning Center. Guides that are easier to print and save as PDFs or customize in Google Docs and Slides. How to get started Admins and end users: The new G Suite Learning Center can now be found at support.google.com/a/users, but you can still use the old web address gsuite.google.com/learning-center. Additional details This initial launch is for the English language site only. In the coming months, we’ll release our revamped Learning ...
Read more

Bulk-export Hangouts Meet hardware fleet information

Image
Originally Posted on Google's G Suite Updates Blog What’s changing We’ve added the ability to export detailed information about all Hangouts Meet hardware devices in a domain to a Google Sheet or CSV file in a single action. Who’s impacted Admins only Why you’d use it Having access to up-to-date information about all Meet devices allows G Suite admins to better understand usage across their entire organization by: Populating data for reports/dashboards Auditing organization-wide peripherals usage Analyzing data for external systems such as ticket/support system or financial functions such as asset tracking or inventory management How to get started Admins: To export your list of devices, follow the steps in the Help Center. After completion, the results will be available from the Tasks icon at the top of the page. Depending on the selected format the information can then be viewed in Google Sheets, or downloaded as a CSV file. End users: No action required Addit...
Read more