Google announces new efforts to protect journalists

Google announced on saturday that it would be delivering a slate of new cybersecurity protection features for high-risk users one day after telling about 14,000 Gmail users that they had been targets of Russian-government group APT28.

In a blog post, Google said an increasing number of cyberattacks targeted high profile individuals and groups, forcing them to take extra measures and create a team "dedicated to detecting and stopping the world's most sophisticated cybercriminals."

"We're excited to be working with these leading organizations to protect high-risk user groups and earn more about the needs of at-risk users and organizations. These collaborations help us make the world's most advanced security even stronger, more inclusive and easier to use -- helping everyone stay safer with Google," the company explained. 

In addition to touting the Advanced Protection Program (APP) that users can turn on to beef up their protection from certain attacks, Google said it was partnering with organizations across the globe to provide free security keys to over 10,000 high-risk users throughout 2021. 

"APP brings Google's strongest security protections together into a holistic program that is constantly upgraded in response to emerging threats. APP is available to all users but is specifically designed for individuals and organizations at higher risk of targeted online attacks, such as elected officials, political campaigns, human rights activists and journalists," Google explained. 

"Users who enroll in APP are protected against a wide variety of online threats, including sophisticated phishing attacks (through the use of security keys), malware and other malicious downloads on Chrome and Android, and unauthorized access to their personal account data (such as Gmail, Drive or Photos).  As new threats are discovered, APP evolves to provide the latest protections."

Google also announced new partnerships with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), UN Women and nonprofit Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC). 

Google is working with IFES on global educational security programming for human rights workers and groups online, providing free security keys for attendees of the group's global cyber hygiene trainings.