google: 5 Security myths Google wants you to stop believing in right now – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Every year May 5 is celebrated as World Password Day. The day aims to encourage safe password practices among users. In honor of World Password Day, Google in a blog post urged users to start by leveraging the security protections built directly into its products. “As cybersecurity evolves, many of our old fears about it are no longer relevant or even true, especially with ongoing tech innovations,” wrote Camille Stewart, global head of product security strategy, Google. The blog further goes on to debunk some of the security myths
Myth: It’s up to me to spot suspicious links on my own
Tip: With the right security protections set as default in Google products like Gmail, Chrome, less of the burden is on the user
Phishing schemes can lead to serious cyber attacks, but by leveraging tech that is secure by default, you’re automatically protected from many of them. If you’re using Chrome or Gmail, we’ll proactively flag known deceptive sites, emails and links before you even click them, and Google Password Manager won’t autofill your credentials if it detects a fraudulent website. With the right security protections, which are set as default in Google products, less of the burden is on you.
Myth: Avoid public Wi-Fi at all costs
Tip: Use HTTPS lock as a signal for which websites to visit
The tech industry continues to make improvements to reduce security risks with public Wi-Fi, which has historically been the model for bad security practices. Websites using HTTPS provide secure connections using data encryption. Chrome offers HTTPS-First mode to prioritize those sites and makes it easy to identify protected pages with a lock icon in your web address bar. Use that as a signal for which websites to visit.
Myth: Bluetooth is dangerous
Tip: Using current Bluetooth standards is quite secure, and doesn’t actually involve pairing
Bluetooth technology has come a long way since its inception. It’s far more advanced and harder to break into, especially in comparison with other technologies. However some people might still question whether Bluetooth, familiar as a pairing technology, is a secure method to help you sign in. After all, you’re used to seeing nearby devices like your phone or headphones show up on your laptop. But using current Bluetooth standards is very secure, and doesn’t actually involve pairing. It’s used to ensure your phone is near the device you’re signing in to, confirming it’s really you trying to access your account.
Myth: Password managers are risky
Tip: No, password managers are designed for security
It might seem risky to entrust all your credentials in a single provider, but password managers are designed for security. Stewart says that if users use Google’s password managers that are built directly into Chrome and Android, then they are secure by default. “Our research shows that 65% of people still reuse their credentials for various accounts, password managers solve that problem by creating new passwords for you and ensuring their strength. They’re also increasingly more secure, in fact, we recently launched a new on-device encryption for Google Password Manager, allowing you to keep your passwords more private and protected with your Google Account credentials before they’re sent to us for storage,” adds Stewart in the blog post.
Myth: Cybercriminals won’t waste their time targeting me
Tip: The everyday person is the perfect target for hackers, so be on guard
You might not be a high-profile figure, but that doesn’t mean you’re not on cybercriminals’ radars. In fact, the everyday person is the perfect target for social engineering, which is when an attacker manipulates you into sharing personal information used for a cyber attack. Social engineers do this for a living and it’s a low cost, low effort way to reach their goals, especially in comparison to physically breaking technology or trying to target someone in the public eye.