Log into Gmail on a PC via Your Smartphone - newellfieve1936

Google recently introduced a fun (and to a greater extent secure) way to log into your Google account from a public terminal without entering your parole into the PC, and instead using your smartphone and a QR code.

The method is synonymous to how Google sets up your French telephone for its two-step log-in process introduced in February 2022. Google's two-step authentication system of rules requires you to enter your password As considerably A a unique short code generated past a trusted device (your smartphone) to access your account.

The new Google QR log-in directly organism discussed on Google+ and Hack News uses your smartphone as a kind of proxy for the background PC's web browser. You will be able to enter your Google account password into your smartphone and then the PC will "automagically" logarithm you in to your Google story on the Microcomputer.

This is a neat trick to use when travelling and relying on public computers, and can protect you from a Personal computer with keylogging software that records all keystroke entered into a compromised machine.

In my tests, I was able to log up in using an iPhone as well as an Humanoid device, it's said to also work with Windows Phone 7.

It's non clear when Google created the new QR code log-in system. The earliest reference I could find was on Reddit in latish December, but as ALIR as I can tell Google has never publicly announced this log-in option.

Here's how to use Google's hot authentication action.

Get a QR Encode Reader

To bestir oneself, you need a QR code reader for your smartphone. In my tests, any QR code reader will do work, including Google Goggles, the search giant star's visualize-as-query smartphone app. You can find Google Goggles on the Humanoid Securities industry and As contribution of the Google Search app for iOS.

Once your smartphone is up and running with the QR reader app, go to https://accounts.google.com/sesame, a fail-safe Google page displays a QR inscribe. Next, open the code reader app on your smartphone and claim a snapshot, operating theater wait for the app to recognize the code happening the screen.

Your app will then tell you the QR code is a URL. Let the app to open the URL and you will hit a Google account log-in screen where you are prompted to get in your account password. The first time you use this system of rules, you Crataegus laevigata also have to enter your username.

Once that's done, you should see a monition screen telling you not to go forward unless you scanned a log-in bar computer code at Google.com. If you accept arrived at this page from Google.com, select either "Start with Gmail" or "Start with iGoogle" from the warning screen.

A few seconds later o, the web browser window on the PC should automatically redirect to your Gmail inbox. In my tests, you could purpose this process whether your smartphone was using a cellular data connection operating theatre the same Wi-Fi network as the PC.

A Word of God of Caution

While this new lumber-in method acting is fun to try and could come in very handy at times, this is non a foolproof method for retention your log-in credentials fail-safe. If you are using Google's QR code method acting in an airport, consider using your 3G/4G connexion to move in your password instead of the airport's inexact, open Wi-Fi network. That way your activenes won't be grabbed past any venomous hackers victimization mailboat sniffers to grab Wi-Fi traffic. Google's QR authentication does use an encrypted channel through HTTPS, but information technology's safer to stay off WI-Fi anyway.

Also, before scanning the QR codification, make absolutely trusty that the web turn to is secure and coming from Google.com, and non something look-alike go.ogle.com. If you preceptor't see a URL that has HTTPS, and "google.com" earlier the "/" slash then you are not on Google's webpage. It would be very easy for a intended hacker to constituted a fake Google QR code and subsequent log in page to steal your credentials.

Finally, keep in mind that this is a good way to protect yourself against keylogging attacks, but intended hackers can use many other tricks to try to steal your log-in credentials and get entree to your account. They could, for example, habituate a man-in-the-halfway onslaught where all data to and from the Microcomputer you're using is intercepted by a third company.

In my tests, the password had to be entered on the smartphone every sentence in regularise to get echt on the PC. So, if somebody steals your phone they may non be able to use your device to log in using the QR method acting.

Google's new QR method is a amusing way to get access code to your Google news report, but don't forget to log knocked out of your account once you're done.

UPDATE: Shortly after PCWorld wrote about Google's QR Inscribe log on, the search giant distinct to stop offering the feature, calling it an experiment. "We always work improving authentication, and try out different things all occasionally," said Dirk Balfanz from Google's security team. "We're working on something that I believe is yet better, and when that's ready for a public trial we'll rent you know."

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