Google has been developing security options for its Android operating system meant to help you log in to your accounts in a secure environment. In April of this year, the company launched a new way to let you use your Android device as a physical security key. A few months later, Android phones were turned into a security key for iOS apps.
As part of its efforts to bolster user security, Google announced today that it is launching a new security tool meant to help people at a higher risk protect themselves from targeted attacks. In collaboration with security hardware vendor Yubico, Google has built a new version of its Titan Security Key with a USB-C connector, available for $40 from October 15 in the U.S.
The USB-C Titan Security Key will work with Android, Chrome OS, macOS, and Windows devices. It features a hardware secure element chip integrated with a Google-engineered firmware that authenticates its integrity. Google notes that it uses these same chip and firmware for its existing USB-A/NFC and Bluetooth/NFC/USB Titan Security Key models.
Like those security keys, the USB-C Titan Security Key will work with services such as Google Account, 1Password, Coinbase, Dropbox, Facebook, GitHub, Salesforce, Stripe, and Twitter, among others. This is courtesy of the tool"s FIDO (Fast Identity Online) compliance.