I used Google Authenticator some years ago on a phone that broke. At the time I was unable to restore it to my new phone. The proposed solution used to be to authenticate multiple devices (phones with Authenticator, Yubikeys) but to this day many Services only allow You to link a single second factor to your Account, meaning that upon loosing that factor you’re required to contact support to restore access to your Account. Is there any open source solution that generates a second factor in software and can be easily cloned/restored to multiple devices ? Nobody buys a single set of keys for their front door or car. I know why yubikeys don’t offer „spares“ but usecases can differ are there any yubikey protocol compatible competitors that offer spare keys ?
Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
31–40 of 42 posts
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#32I used Google Authenticator some years ago on a phone that broke. At the time I was unable to restore it to my new phone. The proposed solution used to be to authenticate multiple devices (phones with Authenticator, Yubikeys) but to this day many Services only allow You to link a single second factor to your Account, meaning that upon loosing that factor you’re required to contact support to restore access to your Ac…
Nothing is stopping you from adding the secret token to multiple apps or devices to generate TOTP codes, as there is no connection between the service providing the secret and the TOTP generator.
One way to have a backup is just adding all your secrets to your password manager like KeePass, KeeWeb etc which can generate TOTP codes (but kind of defeats the purpose of _two_ factor).
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#33I have been using the Yubico Authenticator for about a year. The really handy part for me is that the otp codes are generated by the hardware YubiKey, so switching phones is a non issue.
i didn't know about Yubico Authenticator, it seems like a great solution. How do you handle QR codes?
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#34I have been using the Yubico Authenticator for about a year. The really handy part for me is that the otp codes are generated by the hardware YubiKey, so switching phones is a non issue.
i didn't know about Yubico Authenticator, it seems like a great solution. How do you handle QR codes?
It uses the phone camera to scan QR codes during the initial setup but stores credentials on the yubikey itself.
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
i didn't know about Yubico Authenticator, it seems like a great solution. How do you handle QR codes?
It uses the phone camera to scan QR codes during the initial setup but stores credentials on the yubikey itself.
i see, I was checking the desktop version and there's no option to import a qr code image
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#36I will forever promote Authy as 2FA app, you can restore it on another phone even if your main one is dead.
Don't use Google Authenticator, if you forget to manually backup the keys, they're gone once you reset the phone. Learned it the hard way.
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#37Maybe my needs are overly simplistic but most any of them will work just fine.
There is no real "magic" here. They apply a secret key (unique to your account) and the current time to a standard hashing algorithm and the results are pretty binary --- they either work or they don't. Those that don't --- well, you've probably never heard of them for obvious reasons.
So dive right in knowing you can move to a new app or a different device at any time by simply copying the key and applying the same standardized algorithm. UI, account setup and other things are mostly just window dressing.
EDIT - I haven't seem it personally but based on comments here, apparently there are some apps that try to hold your keys hostage. I would avoid any such app like the plaque.
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#38Aegis, it's FOSS and supports encrypted backups. Migrating to a new device is trivial. Best of all: it even supports 7 digit TOTP that previously required Authy (I think Cloudflare and HumbleBundle use this variant). https://github.com/beemdevelopment/Aegis
Aegis is great!
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
But if you also use bitwarden for your passwords, aren't you making your two-factor authentication a single factor again?
Depends. For someone who's determined enough and has a wrench, most things become single factor. https://xkcd.com/538/
Yes not always. Two factors is something you know and something you have. If I lost my phone or my token generator, you can drug, torture, and kill my family and me as much as you want, you will not go far.
But I would probably give you everything I have and I know if you have convincing arguments.
Re: Ask HN: Recommended two-factor authenticator app for personal use?
#40I have been using the Yubico Authenticator for about a year. The really handy part for me is that the otp codes are generated by the hardware YubiKey, so switching phones is a non issue.
A significant problem with 2FA codes on a phone (if not backed up) is when the phone breaks or is lost or stolen.
Seems to me a Yubikey can also break or be lost or stolen.
That's why I rejected a Yubikey option and use Aegis instead. I think the risks associated with someone getting hold of my 2FA keys are lower than the risks associated with getting permanently locked out of my accounts due to losing the 2FA keystore.