Google Dials Up Nest Security With Two-Factor Authentication

Connected thermostat maker Nest rolled out two-factor authentication support through a software update on Tuesday (March 7).

Users will be able log in with their email and password as they normally do, but will then be sent a text message with a verification code that must be entered on the corresponding screen of the smart device, Fortune Magazine reported.

All Nest products, which range from thermostats to smoke alarms, are connected via Wi-Fi, which make them susceptible to hackers. While two-factor authentication is a step in the right cybersecurity direction, Fortune noted that it is not enough to properly safeguard user data and access against increasingly sophisticated attacks.

“We all know data security is a moving target,” Matt Rogers, VP of engineering at Nest Labs, said in a blog post. “Technology keeps advancing, but so do the people who want to break into your email, your credit card or any other account they can get their hands on.”

Last year, a report from Bitdefender explained something that most tech consumers already know (that their smart thermometers, light switches and device hubs aren’t as secure as they could be) but in a way that might not be common knowledge.

In an in-depth breakdown of the security measures of four popular consumer IoT products, the software security company found that hackers often don’t have to do much hacking at all to turn IoT devices into ransomware bricks. Unfortunately, security vulnerabilities in smart home products can compromise an entire house’s Wi-Fi network.