Google Cloud to Mandate Multi-Factor Authentication for All Users by 2025

Beginning in 2025, Google Cloud is set to require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users, as announced by the company's Vice President of Engineering. This initiative is part of an effort to enhance the security of the cloud platform while maintaining a user-friendly online experience. The implementation will take place in stages, and both businesses and individual users will be informed ahead of the transition to mandatory MFA.

Google Cloud will enforce MFA for any users who rely solely on passwords for logging in. Currently, about 70 percent of users on the platform already utilize additional MFA methods, reflecting the importance of layered security. This global mandate will cover all enterprises as well as individual users, rolling out in phases starting in 2025.

To set up MFA for a Google Account, users must follow specific steps.

• Phase one will start this month, focusing on promoting MFA adoption through reminders and detailed information about the feature within the Cloud Console. This phase will also offer resources to assist users in planning for a seamless shift to MFA.
• Early in 2025, phase two will kick off, making MFA a requirement for both new and existing users of Google Cloud services like the Cloud Console, Firebase Console, and gCloud.
• The concluding stage of the deployment will commence by late 2025, when MFA will become compulsory for users employing federated authentication to access Google Cloud. They will have several flexible options for signing in, including integrating MFA with their primary identity provider or directly through their Google account.