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Google Will Retool User Security in Wake of Political Hack

  • New service for Gmail, data will block third-party apps, hacks
  • Product designed to replace two-factor authentication
The Google Inc. logo
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Google is preparing to upgrade its security tools for online accounts to better insulate users from cyberattacks and politically motivated hacks, according to two people familiar with the company’s plan.

The Alphabet Inc. company next month will begin offering a service called the Advanced Protection Program that places a collection of features onto accounts such as email, including a new block on third-party applications from accessing data. The program would effectively replace the need to use two-factor authentication to protect accounts with a pair of physical security keys. The company plans to market the product to corporate executives, politicians and others with heightened security concerns, these people said.