this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2024
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What if you don't have an Android or Apple smartphone, or refuse to get one on privacy concerns?
I know SMS isn't very secure, but how is one supposed to use 2FA if they can't, or won't, accept spyware to do so?
A lot of services now accept physical security keys for logging in. These keys use FIDO similar to how a phone-based passkey works. You just plug the dude in and then you are good to go.
Obviously not every company works with these just yet, but a lot of major companies do. Honestly most of the big tech companies support them.
GitHub and Bitwarden are the two I’m immediately thinking of, but that’s likely because I just used my passkey for those lol.
It’s way more secure than SMS MFA, and I prefer it to a phone app because I don’t have to look at then enter a code while hoping the time doesn’t run out for that code, forcing me to wait for a new one.
I've got some older unopened v4 Yubikeys that work let me have when they upgraded to v5. I've been meaning to try them out. Problem is there's no backup. If you lose or break the thing, you're screwed if you didn't have some alternative 2FA set up.
I programmed 3 of them for my Bitwarden login. One stays on my keys and the other two are in my desk at home and the fire safe. Could go as far as sticking one in a safe deposit box.
Any time TOTP is an option, that goes into Bitwarden. Done.
Now passkeys are becoming a thing and those will also go into Bitwarden, personally.
That's fine if you don't want to use a smartphone, but SMS should not be the only option available. They should provide multiple options for 2FA so customers can choose what they are comfortable with.
100% agree.
You can use TOTP 2FA on a browser too, there’s plugins for it. It’s not some super secret algorithm, smartphone apps are just the most common way of handling it. I suppose there’s progress to be made in terms of accessibility and education for the general public in terms of options for TOTP.
TOTP isn't offered by most of my financial sites, or Apple. It's annoying.
That’s because Apple, as they love to do, decided to make their own special version of 2fa within their little garden.
Y’know, instead of going with the accepted totp method.
That's a good point, and I do have some 2FA set up like that. The problem is I have to be logged into a computer, have a browser open, have the 2FA extension installed, and be able to copy and paste or type the code in before the timer expires.
That's not hard at home, but if I need to sign in to my bank account while at a library or anything like that, I'm screwed.
I think SMS is popular because it's so easy to reach the people that need the codes, regardless of platform. I just wish it wasn't so bad security-wise, you know?