Google is finally patching a loophole that let anyone lock your device remotely
Summary
- Google’s Remote Lock feature is meant to keep your device secure when lost or stolen.
- Google is updating the feature in order to provide enhanced security.
- A new security question may be added to Remote Lock, requiring an extra step in order to lock the device.
Things used to be a lot simpler when it came to protecting your devices. But now, there are a lot of different ways that people can fish for your information, and that data can be used to gain access to personal accounts and services.
Related
Devices aren’t safe either, which is why brands like Google offer enhanced security features like Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock. Despite good intentions, it appears that the last one is a little bit of a double-edged sword.
A change that can’t come soon enough
Luckily, Google is making some much-needed changes to the feature, as reported by Android Authority. The news outlet was able to find changes to the behavior of the feature in the last version of the Google Play Services app.
The news outlet reports that within the code of version 25.12.62, there could be a new security question feature added. If this comes to fruition, it will prevent just using the phone number to Remote Lock the phone, and will require one extra step, which is a good thing.
In its current form, you can activate the feature just by using the phone number, as long as that browser is also logged into the device’s account. As you can imagine, this kind of event isn’t going to happen all that often, but the possibility is quite high, especially if you’re living in a shared space.
The good news is that, despite this being a major pain point, getting back on track isn’t such a big deal. If a device is remotely locked, users will just need to authorize their device using a password, PIN, or biometrics. Google also has a remote lock limit, with a maximum of two times within a 24-hour period.
This is so things don’t get out of hand if someone has access to your phone number and account. As of now, it’s unclear when this change will arrive, but since it’s being seen in code, we can only hope that it’s soon.
