this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2024
381 points (99.2% liked)

Technology

55746 readers
4317 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
L3s
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
enu
[email protected]
L4s
381
Tech Company Leaks 2FA Codes/Password Reset Links for Major Platforms (techcrunch.com)
submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/technology
75 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

A security breach exposed two-factor authentication (2FA) codes/password reset links for millions of users on platforms like Facebook, Google, and TikTok.

Key Points:

  • YX International, an SMS routing company, left an internal database exposed online without a password.
  • The database contained one-time 2FA codes and password reset links for various tech giants.
  • YX International secured the database and claims to have "sealed the vulnerability."
  • The company wouldn't confirm how long the database was exposed or if anyone else accessed it.
  • Representatives from Meta, Google, and TikTok haven't commented yet.

Concerns:

  • This leak highlights the vulnerabilities of SMS-based 2FA compared to app-based methods.
  • The lack of information regarding the leak's duration and potential access by others raises concerns.

Gemini Recommendations:

  • Consider switching to app-based 2FA for increased security.
  • Be cautious of suspicious communications and avoid clicking unknown links.
  • Stay informed about potential security breaches affecting your online accounts.
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 54 points 4 months ago (15 children)

It's infuriating that my bank still uses SMS 2FA.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (9 children)

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?

[–] LastElemental 4 points 4 months ago (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

TOTP isn't offered by most of my financial sites, or Apple. It's annoying.

[–] harsh3466 4 points 4 months ago

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.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (11 replies)