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Years ago it took me a few times encountering these keys to realize how they were working (like for Google, etc). Now, on being presented any shared secret to
by supernova87a 6y ago
Years ago it took me a few times encountering these keys to realize how they were working (like for Google, etc). Now, on being presented any shared secret to initialize my Authenticator app, I screen capture / print out the secret and store it in my files at home. Just like those recovery codes. Too much of my life is with Google not to have this stored somewhere safe.
- modeless 6y agoGoogle Authenticator now allows exporting your entire list as a single QR code, so you don't have to save the initial QR code. It's a godsend for migrating between phones.
- DennisP 6y agoGoogling that, it appears to be available only on Android.
- riffraff 6y agonot affiliated with them, but I have used Authy for years for the simple reason that they allow easy sync across devices, backup, and import/export of the credential list. It's another party to trust, but I prefer it to google authenticator.
- ahelwer 6y agoYeah. I keep my Authy backup password in a tiny safe along with other important documents (note: NOT in my password manager, since that would reduce 2FA to 1FA). Last time my phone died a couple years back I just got a new one, registered it to my phone number, downloaded Authy, verified the phone number, entered my paper backup password, and I was good to go. The way Authy is set up this makes me immune to SIM cloning attacks, because they offer no recovery method if you lose your backup password. As an additional 2FA backup I keep one of those cheap Yubico security keys in the safe, registered to as many sites as will accept them.
- thinkmassive 6y agoSome sites only display the QR code. For those I found ZBar Barcode Tools helpful for converting an image/screenshot to alphanumeric seed: https://github.com/mchehab/zbar https://github.com/mchehab/zbar