Once again, Google is about to change and enforce new rules on October 30, 2019. The higher powers at Google have decided that this is our safety net for Less Secure Apps (LSA) and the setting to “Enforce access to less secure apps for all users” will disappear from the Google Admin console by the end of year.
The “Enforce access to less secure apps for all users” setting on your domain will be changed to “Allow users to manage their access to less secure apps” instead. The Less Secure Apps will no longer have the option to be enforced at the administrator level.
Google and Security
Realistically Google changes are protection for all users. LSA’s up until now are connected to Google accounts using only a username and password. In this day and age this makes them vulnerable to hackers. That is the reason Google will now encourage users to use OAuth-based protocols, a more secure method to connect to third-party applications. OAuth gives third-party apps Google account information while keeping delicate passwords private.
Where are my Apps?
In case you‘re asking, “Where do I find these apps?” They are located within your Google navigation on the upper right of your page. This is the area with nine dots next to the account name. Clicking those nine dots opens up all of the Google Apps you use most often.
How does this affect Blue Zenith clients?
If anyone has added what Google dubs ‘Less Secure Apps’, then access to those apps and how you connect to those apps may change after October 30, 2019. Remember these apps are the ones that use only a username and password to connect. If you are inquisitive and want to learn more, Google has provided information to help guide us though the process of maintaining security features.
As a Blue Zenith client, you might find the constant changes Google makes difficult to keep up with, but we got you covered. Web security pitfalls are a constant threat to normal, authorized users. So take a few moments to review some of these changes and note some of the LSA apps you use that might be affected by this change.