Google is replacing Gmail’s SMS authentication with QR codes

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2011, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Google is planning to move away from sending six-digit authentication codes through SMS messages as a two-factor authentication tool for Gmail, Forbes reports. Instead, over the next few months, QR codes will be rolled out as a replacement for SMS codes in an attempt to “reduce the impact of rampant, global SMS abuse,” Gmail spokesperson Ross Richendrfer told Forbes. Google uses SMS codes to both verify that it’s dealing with the same person who created or owns a Gmail account, and as a deterrent to prevent criminals from creating “thousands of Gmail accounts in order to distribute spam and malware,” Richendrfer says. But while SMS codes are better than using no two-factor authentication at all, the approach comes with its own security risks. Criminals can trick or force users into sharing a code that’s been sent over SMS messaging, a ... Read full article.