4 ms·

Something Google could to do drastically improve the security of their two-factor authentication system is to add the ability to give more granular permissions

by avar 14y ago

Something Google could to do drastically improve the security of their two-factor authentication system is to add the ability to give more granular permissions with the application-specific passwords. I have an application that only needs to send E-Mail through my GMail account (git-send-email), another that only needs to write to one specific GMail label (Android SMS Backup), and Google Chrome surely doesn't need access to everything. But you'd get full access to my account if you compromised any of these. They already have this for the Connected Sites, Apps, and Services. I sent them a feature request for this a while ago but it hasn't been answered (and there's no way to view it online).

estel 14y ago
I didn't think Chrome any longer required an ASP?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- jarito 14y ago
  Still did as of a month or two ago when I turned on two-factor.
- gecko 14y ago
  It still does; I had to go through this yesterday. I don't mind Chrome so much per se, but this also means you need an application-specific password for Chrome OS, at least for he initial sign-on, which I find oddly frustrating.
  - jrockway 14y ago
    It does if you set up the sync account via the Settings page, but if you ignore the request to sign in, visit some Google page that requires login and log in, Chrome will produce a yellow bar at the top of the screen asking if you want to use that account for Chrome sync. Click yes and you don't need to sign in any further.
- Flenser 14y ago
  I was glad it does when I revoked the password for the chrome install on my old work computer when I changed jobs.
- abraham 14y ago
  Chrome is experimenting with an OAuth flow but last I checked it isn't in stable yet.
danso 14y ago
> I have an application that only needs to send E-Mail through my GMail account (git-send-email), another that only needs to write to one specific GMail label (Android SMS Backup) Maybe you should use throwaway accounts for these purposes? That is, have a gmail account for github to send your patches through, and have that forward to your main email account? In the SMS-backup case...how important is it that you access your SMSes in your Gmail account? My first thought is: it's bad enough that someone breaks into my email, nevermind all my SMSes. But I guess if you have a workflow that requires easy access to SMSes with your email, you can still have a separate email account that does nothing but forward it onto your main account. So your main account, theoretically, has strong security with the two-factor authentication without having to make backdoors for external apps. People can always break into your throwaway accounts, but they'll have no particular inroad into your main account. And presumably, you'd have a decent window of time to detect an intrusion and administer the throwaway accounts with your main GMail account
- j_s 14y ago
  For me, Android SMS Backup is definitely convenience over security. However, some type of SMS backup is required: if the Android SMS SQLite db is ever even slightly corrupted (power loss/program crash [usually when db is large]/etc.), Android will silently delete it: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=10127 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=10127
- maxerickson 14y ago
  They should at least go as far as create/read/delete. Then I can uncheck delete for my chat apps. Edit: And grandparent could uncheck read and delete for a couple of their use cases (which is a pretty big improvement).
- e12e 14y ago
  AFAIK it is still against Google's policies to have more than one gmail-account? That doesn't mean it won't work, of course, but you might end up with Google turning off all your accounts, with no real recourse to fix the situation. Why do you need access to your google account to send email from github? From:-headers are designed to be readily "forged" (or rather, set to whatever you want). Just send email through wathever means you use, optionally adding a bcc to your own account, if you want a copy of the actual email in your gmail folder?
pooriaazimi 14y ago
Indeed. I have created a couple application passwords for "Verbs" IM on my iPad and my iPhone (though I rarely use chat, but added them just in case). I'd feel safer if I knew these guys can only see see my contacts and send/receive messages. Right now they can see all my emails and probably everything else that's on my google account.
conradev 14y ago
I totally agree with this. I have to be careful where I use app-specific passwords. Currently, I only trust the keychain on my Apple devices, and would never store one of these passwords in plaintext.

by avar 14y ago

estel 14y ago

I didn't think Chrome any longer required an ASP?

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
jarito 14y ago
Still did as of a month or two ago when I turned on two-factor.
gecko 14y ago
It still does; I had to go through this yesterday. I don't mind Chrome so much per se, but this also means you need an application-specific password for Chrome OS, at least for he initial sign-on, which I find oddly frustrating.
- jrockway 14y ago
  It does if you set up the sync account via the Settings page, but if you ignore the request to sign in, visit some Google page that requires login and log in, Chrome will produce a yellow bar at the top of the screen asking if you want to use that account for Chrome sync. Click yes and you don't need to sign in any further.
Flenser 14y ago
I was glad it does when I revoked the password for the chrome install on my old work computer when I changed jobs.
abraham 14y ago
Chrome is experimenting with an OAuth flow but last I checked it isn't in stable yet.

danso 14y ago

> I have an application that only needs to send E-Mail through my GMail account (git-send-email), another that only needs to write to one specific GMail label (Android SMS Backup) Maybe you should use throwaway accounts for these purposes? That is, have a gmail account for github to send your patches through, and have that forward to your main email account? In the SMS-backup case...how important is it that you access your SMSes in your Gmail account? My first thought is: it's bad enough that someone breaks into my email, nevermind all my SMSes. But I guess if you have a workflow that requires easy access to SMSes with your email, you can still have a separate email account that does nothing but forward it onto your main account. So your main account, theoretically, has strong security with the two-factor authentication without having to make backdoors for external apps. People can always break into your throwaway accounts, but they'll have no particular inroad into your main account. And presumably, you'd have a decent window of time to detect an intrusion and administer the throwaway accounts with your main GMail account

j_s 14y ago
For me, Android SMS Backup is definitely convenience over security. However, some type of SMS backup is required: if the Android SMS SQLite db is ever even slightly corrupted (power loss/program crash [usually when db is large]/etc.), Android will silently delete it: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=10127 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=10127
maxerickson 14y ago
They should at least go as far as create/read/delete. Then I can uncheck delete for my chat apps. Edit: And grandparent could uncheck read and delete for a couple of their use cases (which is a pretty big improvement).
e12e 14y ago
AFAIK it is still against Google's policies to have more than one gmail-account? That doesn't mean it won't work, of course, but you might end up with Google turning off all your accounts, with no real recourse to fix the situation. Why do you need access to your google account to send email from github? From:-headers are designed to be readily "forged" (or rather, set to whatever you want). Just send email through wathever means you use, optionally adding a bcc to your own account, if you want a copy of the actual email in your gmail folder?

pooriaazimi 14y ago

Indeed. I have created a couple application passwords for "Verbs" IM on my iPad and my iPhone (though I rarely use chat, but added them just in case). I'd feel safer if I knew these guys can only see see my contacts and send/receive messages. Right now they can see all my emails and probably everything else that's on my google account.

conradev 14y ago

I totally agree with this. I have to be careful where I use app-specific passwords. Currently, I only trust the keychain on my Apple devices, and would never store one of these passwords in plaintext.