Google shores up security measures in wake of Russia-Ukraine war

Increasing account security, removing disinformation, and highlighting safer practices

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Google is taking steps to strengthen account security and reduce the reach of hacking and disinformation campaigns. The Google Europe twitter account posted a thread detailing changes it is taking along with advice for high-risk targets and people in the affected vicinity.

Account security has been automatically increased for those in the region to limit the potential for individually-targeted cyber attacks. This includes measures like activating 2-step verification (2FA) for accounts that haven’t already turned it on and stricter enforcement on account recovery methods.

High-risk targets such as politicians and journalists are also encouraged to enable Google’s Advanced Protection Program. There are also more general recommendations to make sure Google Safe Browsing is still enabled and to use services like VirusTotal to analyze suspicious files and URLs.

The YouTube Creators account also posted a thread written in Ukranian (followed by English and Russian translations) with similar advice to enable 2FA, double-check the list of accounts with channel access, a reminder that owners can temporarily hide their channels and restore them in the future, and a general recommendation about how to report abuse, harassment, and other inappropriate content.

Google also highlighted its own efforts to restrict misinformation and propaganda by giving prominence to trusted news sources and removing known sources of disinformation. Ads aiming to take advantage of the situation have been blocked to prevent abuse. Meanwhile, Google is also granting $2 million in donated ad space to connect people in the region to humanitarian and resettlement resources.

Site owners were also directed to check out Project Shield, Google’s free service that aims to protect against DDoS attacks.

Russia has a well-documented history of cyber warfare and propaganda ranging from attacks aimed at disrupting companies and services to spreading false or manipulated information through social networks. YouTube has taken down hundreds of channels and thousands of videos in an effort to curtail misinformation campaigns, and Google’s efforts to improve account security are aimed at closing loopholes that could be exploited to spy on users or spread information through connected services.

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