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What happens if you lose your yubikey? Are you then locked out of your accounts? Or is there a backup way to get in, and if so does that make the yubikey kinda
by jonplackett 7y ago
What happens if you lose your yubikey? Are you then locked out of your accounts? Or is there a backup way to get in, and if so does that make the yubikey kinda pointless anyway?
- OJFord 7y agoYou can do either, whatever you prefer. You could generate keys off the device and keep a copy elswhere allowing you to revoke the device's sub key and generate a new one for a replacement device. You could have two, and only carry one. (Big downside is that you need to fish out the backup every time you register for something new.) You could use something else as a second factor as well, and just treat the device as a more convenient option than looking up and typing in an TOTP code, say.
- Dayshine 7y agoThe obvious solution to me (although I don't see it recommended on the yubikey website) is to buy 2 yubikeys and register both with services. Then put the 2nd in a locked safe or other location that requires someone to have absurd access. If you lose the 1st, use the 2nd to deregister the 1st and register a 3rd.
- laumars 7y agoUsually you'd have more than one sysadmin on the team so the 2nd guy could restore your access. Having a reliance on 1 individual creates a great deal of risk, not just in the case of lost YubiKeys.