Google doesn’t allow you to adjust all Gmail settings anymore. Changes to settings around filters and IMAP must be confirmed with two-factor authentication (2FA).
Google is expanding the use of two-factor authentication within Gmail. From now on, you will have to prove once again that you are the one making some “sensitive” settings. This seems like an extra step, but it should provide an extra layer of security if someone manages to break into your account.
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Secure email with Gmail thanks to this setting
What are the settings involved? Google considers filters, forwarding emails to other accounts, and IMAP access sensitive. You can create filters via the function Search options The search option is a useful tool for creating order in your mailbox or blocking addresses. You can view and adjust your filters afterwards via Blocked filters and addresses in settings. Tampering with filters can lead to missing important emails or receiving emails from unwanted senders.
Access via IMAP
Why forwarding and IMAP settings are important is also self-explanatory. These settings ensure that emails end up in the correct mailbox and that you can move your Gmail mailbox to Outlook, for example. Hackers can manipulate these settings to monitor your email traffic. You can find these settings below Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
Soon you won’t be able to edit these lists. If you or someone else makes a modification, a warning will appear on your registered two-factor authentication device (see screenshot). Changes will not be saved unless you give express permission to do so.
Subtract the rush
Google has initiated an “emergency rollout” to get the feature to all Gmail users as quickly as possible. For personal accounts, the rollout has already started and everyone will have it in a couple of weeks. Workspace subscribers will have to wait until September 6, but will be served after that within three days.
