Google has confirmed that its Nest series of smart home products is now eligible for its Advanced Protection program for ultra-high security Google accounts

The Internet search giant made the announcement on Monday (June 1), saying that access to Advanced Protection was one of the top requests it received from Nest users

Launched in 2017, Google's Advanced Protection program provides very strong protection for those at high risk of being targeted by cybercriminals and spies This includes journalists, activists, business leaders, and politicians

With the goal of protecting users from phishing, malware, and scams, the program blocks unknown apps and fraudulent accounts and restricts access to email and other data primarily to Google accounts

Users must have two physical two-factor authentication security keys such as Yubikey or Titan Key, an Android phone running Android 70 Nougat or later, or iOS 10 or later with the Google Smart Lock app installed You must have either an iPhone; only Google apps and some third-party apps can access your Google account

The program was available for products such as G Suite, Google Cloud Platform, Chrome, and Android

However, pressure on manufacturers to improve security has increased as cybercriminals increasingly hack into smart home devices, eavesdrop on users, and control them to be used as part of large-scale botnet attacks

Shvo Chatterjee, the program's project manager, said in a blog post that the improvements provide another layer of protection for people using Nest devices

"Today we are announcing one of the most important requests we have received: to bring an advanced protection program to Nest," Chatterjee wrote

"This will allow users to seamlessly use their Google accounts with both Advanced Protection and Google Nest devices

This is not the first time Google has begun enhancing the security of its Nest devices, having announced a myriad of security features in February