4 ms·

I keep a second key as backup for this reason, which honestly is overkill and I only do because I got a second one for free at a conference. Easier solution (w

I keep a second key as backup for this reason, which honestly is overkill and I only do because I got a second one for free at a conference. Easier solution (which I also use in case I someday need the second one only to discover that the blue smoke leaked out) is to just print out the TOTP secrets and keep them somewhere. I'm usually printing out recovery codes when I get a new TOTP secret so this has never felt like a big deal. Also easy enough to maintain a keepass[xc] vault for totp secrets, you could keep a separate one from your passwords if you were feeling paranoid. Great support on mobile and desktop for using a keepass db as a TOTP source - and easy to sync with dropbox/email/ssh/your web server/whatever

jve 4y ago
Everyone should read this risk mitigation solution for loosing 2FA. I always think about printing recovery codes, but having keepass vault with those codes also sounds great. You may even have some random password there and store it printed out in some locations just for emergency. Anyways, people should think about these risks when dealing with 2FA: flood, fire, stolen, lost, (I) broke (Smartphone, yubikey, usb, etc), broke (itself), software bug, kids, washing machines, etc.
- ngrilly 4y ago
  And also something we usually don’t consider: loss of memory, which can occur in combination with a traumatic event like your house burning. Then you can loose your smartphone, your Yubikey, your printed copy, and your memory all at the same time if everything is stored in one place. And this is exactly when you will need those the most. Not easy to defend against such a nightmarish scenario.