• by Jess Nelson , October 3, 2017

Google will soon make it harder for cybercriminals to hack into your email account, as long as you’re a high-enough target.

Alphabet Inc. will begin a new service this month dubbed the “Advanced Protection Program,” a new security system that replaces traditional passwords and two-factor authentication with a set of physical security keys.

The Advanced Protection Program consists of a series of security steps on Google’s cloud-based applications, including email. In addition to blocking third-party applications from accessing user data, Google’s Advanced Protection Program also includes a pair of USB keys that verify a user’s identity.

Theoretically, it’s a more secure solution because it would require a hacker to have physical access to the USB key.

As first reported by Bloomberg, Google appears to be reconfiguring its safety standards to better serve high-value targets that may be on the receiving end of politically motivated attacks. 

John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign chairman, notoriously had his Gmail account breached last year in a phishing attack linked to the Russian government. Thousands of Podesta’s emails were leaked to and published by WikiLeaks.

Seven members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) also had their emails leaked to WikiLeaks last summer, prompting the resignation of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.