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A Pragmatic Guide to Google Account Security

Google account security is critically important in the workplace because each employee’s account is a gateway to sensitive company data, collaborative tools, and internal communication systems.

Google Workspace
July 16, 2025
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Material Security Team
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What is Google account security?

Google Account Security refers to the practices, settings, and technologies designed to protect a Google account from unauthorized access and misuse. Google accounts are used to access Google services like Gmail, Drive, and identity features, plus access to third party applications used by the company. As a result, these accounts warrant extra attention from security teams.

Why do I need Google account security?

Google account security is critically important in the workplace because each employee’s account is a gateway to sensitive company data, collaborative tools, and internal communication systems. Here’s a detailed breakdown of why securing Google accounts is essential:

Protection of company data

Google accounts often have access to:

  • Confidential documents in Google Drive (e.g. financials, strategy, legal contracts)
  • Internal emails and sensitive threads (Gmail)
  • Shared calendars, project timelines, and meeting links (Calendar)
  • Customer and vendor data, including personal or proprietary information

A breach could result in data leaks, legal consequences, and reputational damage.

Prevention of internal threats and unauthorized access

Insecure accounts can become entry points for:

  • Phishing attacks that trick employees into revealing login credentials
  • Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams, where attackers impersonate executives or partners
  • Lateral movement in your organization — once one account is compromised, others are at risk

Avoidance of operational disruptions

If an employee’s Google Workspace account is hacked:

  • Access to collaborative tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Chat may be blocked
  • Project timelines can stall if files are lost or held ransom
  • Colleagues may lose trust or fall victim to spoofed messages from an account

Keeping accounts secure ensures business continuity and team productivity.

Compliance and legal requirements

Many industries are subject to data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA. Failing to secure workplace accounts may:

  • Violate these regulations
  • Trigger audits or fines
  • Breach contractual obligations to clients or partners

Strong account security is part of responsible data governance.

IT management and risk reduction

From an IT and cybersecurity perspective:

  • Secure accounts reduce the risk surface
  • Fewer incidents mean lower costs and less time spent on recovery
  • Standardized security policies (e.g. SSO, MFA, device management) make it easier to enforce organization-wide controls
  • Security awareness among employees is just as critical as technical defenses.

Google account security in the workplace is not just about protecting one account; it’s about safeguarding the entire organization’s data, operations, and reputation. It minimizes business risk, supports compliance, and enables safe and efficient collaboration.

Does Google offer built-in account security features?

Yes, Google offers a security console that includes many features necessary to protect Google accounts.

What are the limitations of Google’s account security features?

While Google’s account security features are strong, they do have limitations. It’s important to understand these boundaries so you can supplement Google's tools with best practices and external solutions where needed.

Features spread across different areas of the console and APIs

While Google offers many powerful features to manage account security, these features are located across multiple areas of the security console. This makes it time-consuming and manual to do the work required to strengthen account security. Additionally, many security features are accessible only through multiple, siloed APIs. As a result:

  • Managing security settings requires broad admin privileges
  • Teams have poor visibility into user behavior or data misuse
  • Third-party app risks are hard to control 

User-dependent settings and adoption

Many of Google’s strongest protections — like two-factor authentication (2FA), recovery options, and security keys — are optional, and users must opt-in and configure them properly. Security is only as strong as its least vigilant user, and the risks include:

  • Users failing to turn on MFA
  • Weak or reused passwords
  • Incomplete recovery setup (e.g., no phone or backup email)

Social engineering and phishing vulnerability

Human error can bypass even strong account protections, which means that Google cannot fully protect against:

  • Sophisticated phishing attacks that trick users into providing credentials
  • Business email compromise through impersonation
  • Distracted or untrained employees

Limited context awareness

Google's system may detect suspicious login attempts and unusual device or location activity

However, it cannot always:

  • Distinguish between legitimate access from a shared IP or VPN
  • Detect internal misuse (e.g. an employee misusing their own access)
  • Flag access from trusted apps that turn malicious

Limited cross-platform visibility

Google can only secure Google-owned services. Once external apps are authorized, Google can’t fully control or audit their behavior.

  • If employees use their Google accounts to sign into third-party apps, company data is only as safe as those services.
  • OAuth tokens (granted app permissions) are often left unchecked by users.

Advanced threat protection not default for all users

Google offers enhanced tools like:

  • Advanced Protection Program
  • Context-Aware Access
  • Endpoint management

However, advanced features are gated behind role, license, or user action. These features are typically:

  • Targeted at enterprise users
  • Not turned on by default
  • Require administrator oversight

How can I improve my company’s Google account security?

Improving Google account security involves combining technical controls, administrative policies, and employee awareness. Here are steps you can take to make Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) more secure:

Enforce strong authentication

Require Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

  • Enforce MFA across all users via Google Admin Console.
  • Prefer solutions like Google Authenticator, Okta, or physical security keys over SMS.
  • For high-risk roles (e.g., executives, IT staff), mandate the Advanced Protection Program.

Enforce strong password policies

  • Prohibit reuse of compromised passwords (use Google Password Alert).
  • Encourage use of a password manager (e.g. 1Password, Bitwarden, or Google's built-in manager).

Leverage Google Admin Console settings

  • Enable security health recommendations
  • Set up Context-Aware Access
  • Monitor OAuth app access

Audit and monitor user activity

  • Review security reports regularly
  • Enable login challenge prompts
  • Force login revalidation under suspicious activity or device change

Educate and empower your team

Run security awareness training

  • Teach phishing detection, password hygiene, and device security.
  • Include simulations of phishing and fake login pages.

Publish clear security guidelines

  • Make it easy for people to understand how to stay secure
  • Make documentation easy to find
  • Include security training during onboarding

Document best practices for:

  • Device use (laptops, smartphones)
  • Accessing work email off-network
  • Working with confidential documents

Add third-party tools to strengthen security

The work of managing Google account security can be manual and time consuming. Consider adding third party software that ties together key aspects of Google Workspace security and reduces the amount of manual work required from your security team.

How does Material Security strengthen Google account security?

Material Security integrates directly with Google via API, helping to streamline and operationalize the processes and procedures involved in a robust Google account security strategy. Material helps secure accounts so the data in Gmail, shared Drives, and MyDrives is protected. Material’s detection and response capabilities speed and automate the remediation process when risk or misconfiguration is detected.

Material brings together functionality that would otherwise only be available through stitching together multiple aspects of Google’s APIs, providing a single view of risk within Google Workspace. Secure email, protect files, and strengthen account posture all within a single platform.

Why do companies choose Material for Google account security?

Material offers a modern approach to security within Google Workspace.

Out of the box visibility into risk 

After connecting Material to Google Workspace (a simple, 10-minute process), users have instant visibility into risky configurations and behaviors across Google accounts. This out-of-the-box functionality means that teams don’t need to spend time manually configuring and tuning the platform before protections are active. Risks like MFA gaps, overly permissive group settings, and risky auto-forwarding rules are all revealed without manual intervention. 

Automatic remediation workflows

Once a risk is identified, a single click is all it takes to toggle on a remediation workflow. Material gives security teams the flexibility to opt for standard workflows or customize the remediation to match their organization’s risk profile. Employees receive notifications when an alert is enough to trigger a behavior change, or settings can be automatically fixed behind-the-scenes. When no automation is available due to limitations in Google’s APIs, Material provides step-by-step instructions on how to fix the account settings.

Operationalize security across areas of Google Workspace 

Material brings together multiple aspects of Google Workspace security into a single platform. Policy management becomes modular and centralized, eliminating the need for manual spot checks and audits. Plus, role-based access controls (RBAC) mean that the right team members have the right level of access to do their jobs – no more admin over-permissioning needed to get the job done.

Holistic coverage

Material combines Google account security with Google Drive DLP coverage and comprehensive Gmail security that works before, during, and after a breach. Within the same platform, security teams can understand risk across Gmail, Drive, and account settings, letting them say goodbye to toggling between applications and areas of the security console.

Proactive protection

Material identifies risk across Google Workspace and ties together anomalous activity to provide a clear picture of the risk associated with specific accounts. By triangulating signals across email, files, and accounts, the platform can highlight serious risks that emerge when multiple less-urgent risk factors combine.

Works with any tier of Google Workspace

Because Material connects directly to Google Workspace via APIs, it doesn’t require a higher tier of Workspace to use all the features. This gives companies the option to enhance their Google Workspace security without locking into a higher tier of Workspace subscription.

How are companies using Material for Google account security?

Companies that want to strengthen their approach to Google Workspace security are seeing real results from working with Material. Here are just a few examples of how customers use Material for Google account security:

  • Headway went from ad-hoc security audits to always-on detection and response for Google account security issues
  • Alto implemented a plug-and-play solution to extend MFA protection and secure Google accounts
  • SavvyMoney monitors and controls third-party app usage connected to Google accounts

Try Material Security today

Contact us to learn more and get a free risk assessment.

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