Google to introduce QR code authentication for Gmail instead of SMS

FILE PHOTO: Google is reportedly introducing QR codes as an authentication for Gmail instead of SMSes.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Google is reportedly introducing QR codes as an authentication for Gmail instead of SMSes. Per a report by Forbes, citing Ross Richendrfer, a Google spokesperson who said the company is moving away from sending six-digit authentication codes through text messages as a two-factor authentication tool for logging into Gmail. 

While the two-factor authentication was adequate, SMS codes also carried potential security risks as hackers could force or trick users into sharing the code or have access to the device itself. 

There’s also a new kind of scam called traffic pumping or toll fraud via which criminals attempt to get online service providers to come up with SMS messages to numbers in bulk that they can control, so that they get paid each time these messages are delivered. 

Users will be able to use the camera app to scan the QR code once the feature is rolled out. However, there’s no confirmation for when it will be out.