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The research
- Why you should trust us
- Who this is for
- How we picked
- How we tested
- Our pick: Authy
- Flaws but not dealbreakers
- How to gear up upwardly and use Authy
- Other not bad options
- What well-nigh hardware authenticators?
- The competition
- Sources
Why you should trust us
Before covering privacy and security for Wirecutter, I wrote extensively most both topics for the how-to site Lifehacker. For this guide, I spoke with David Temoshok, senior policy advisor at the National Institute of Standards and Applied science (NIST); independent consultant Jim Fenton, who works with NIST and other organizations; and independent scientist Stuart Schechter, who has spent time researching unlike types of authentication methods. Once we settled on Authy as our pick, we spoke with Nabeel Saeed, senior product marketing manager for Twilio Account Security, to analyze details about Authy's backup and recovery processes.
Who this is for
If you practise annihilation online—which you lot obviously exercise—whether that'southward shopping, using social media, or banking, you lot should apply ii-cistron hallmark for your almost of import accounts. As the name suggests, two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security to supported accounts to brand information technology more hard for someone other than y'all to go into them. These 2 factors can include:
- something you know (similar a countersign or a Pivot)
- something you have (like a phone or a hardware key)
- something yous are (biometrics, something similar a fingerprint or a face scan)
1 common example of a arrangement that uses two-factor authentication is a banking concern account with a debit menu, where you need to know a PIN and have the physical debit card to withdraw coin. A two-factor hallmark app is a similar idea, only instead of a physical carte, the 2d chemical element is your phone.
Hither'southward how it works. With 2-factor authentication enabled on an online account, yous log in as usual with your username and password. That's gene ane. Then, the site asks you for a security code. That's cistron ii. This code may come up in a text message, in an email, as a software token retrieved from a 2-factor authentication app, or as a hardware token from a physical device (more than on these below). Text-message verification is not recommended—unless it's the only selection, every bit it'southward still better than nada—due to the ease of SIM swapping (when someone uses social engineering science to become your telephone number assigned to a new SIM so that they can intercept your SMS tokens). Email verification can be secure, just but if you accept strong 2-cistron authentication on that email account.
With the two-gene hallmark apps we're talking nearly here, the login code is a "soft token," a Time-Based Ane-Time Countersign (TOTP). The app generates these codes using an algorithm assigned to your device when you install the app, and each lawmaking lasts 30 or 60 seconds. This means only your physical device has the codes, which makes them more secure than text-message or email codes.
Some accounts may too support push notifications in identify of a code, where instead of asking you to manually type in a code, the site sends you a notification on your phone and you lot tap a push to approve the login. Sometimes this stride asks you to match a code between your phone and your computer, equally you may have done with Bluetooth devices, while other times it shows an option to approve or deny the login. Push notifications are easier to use and more secure than TOTP, but aren't available for many sites.
If the idea of manually inbound a code every fourth dimension y'all log in to a site sounds cumbersome, it is, but like typing in a username and password, information technology's something you get used to. Within a couple of days, the process of opening an app to catch a lawmaking becomes 2d nature. (And if you're using a password director every bit well, which you admittedly should, it'south less piece of work overall, since you have to blazon but your authentication lawmaking while your password managing director autofills the balance.) Plus, many sites, including Google or Facebook, just enquire for the second factor when y'all sign in from new devices (or in a different browser), so it'south non as though yous have to practise information technology every fourth dimension.
Two-factor authentication is recommended by the National Found of Standards and Technology (NIST) and many others to secure online accounts, and using an hallmark app on your smartphone is the most attainable way to do so. You lot don't demand to enable two-factor hallmark everywhere; David Temoshok at NIST recommended using 2-factor authentication for "anything that's dealing with personal information, the collection of personal information, or the maintenance of personal information." You should enable two-cistron hallmark on your password director, electronic mail, whatever cloud backup services y'all use, banks, social media profiles, chat apps, and whatsoever app with your health and fitness data. To come across what sites currently support ii-factor authentication, visit the Two Gene Auth (2FA) list.
Enabling 2-gene authentication does accept some risks worth considering. In an email interview, Stuart Schechter pointed out that losing admission to your accounts is the biggest risk of enabling two-factor authentication. If you lose your phone, you lose access to the two-gene authentication app. In order to recover your two-factor authentication app and go back into your accounts, you demand access to the backup codes almost sites provide when y'all enable ii-cistron authentication, admission to another device with the app installed where you've manually scanned all the same QR codes, or access to a Web-based fill-in (something that virtually 2-factor authentication apps provide just that about experts recommend against). If you don't take the required measures for a potential account recovery during the setup process, you could be permanently locked out of whatever account on which yous enable two-cistron authentication.
Although two-factor hallmark can protect against more basic phishing attempts, where a faux website designed to expect like a login page tries to steal only your password, it'southward non perfect—no security tool is. Two-factor authentication is still susceptible to more than avant-garde phishing attempts. For example, someone could make a fake Gmail login page, email you a link to this folio proverb your account needs an update, and so direct yous to the imitation site, where you and then log in with your username, password, and 2-cistron authentication token. Unlike with stealing passwords, an assaulter needs to take hold of a two-gene authentication software token in existent time for information technology to exist useful. There isn't a ton of data virtually the specifics of phishing attempts similar this, only the FBI'due south Internet Offense Complaint Center received 25,344 reports of phishing in 2017 (PDF). The FBI does warn about the risks of both SIM swapping and phishing tools, but ii-factor hallmark is withal constructive in protecting accounts. You should ship reports of phishing attempts to the FTC, but since almost people don't, information technology'south hard to know how often such phishing happens.
How we picked
A 2-gene hallmark app doesn't need to offering much to be proficient, simply a poorly made one can be a serious pain to use—or fifty-fifty pose a security issue. Here'southward what we found to be about important through our interviews with experts and our contained inquiry:
- Platform compatibility: A skilful two-cistron hallmark app should work on both Android and iOS. Availability on Windows and Mac can exist useful, especially for account recovery, but isn't a requirement.
- Usability: An authenticator should go far easy to add new accounts, find existing accounts, and delete unneeded accounts.
- Reliability: Pretty much anyone with an app developer license can make an authentication app, so when it came to security we looked for apps run by well-known companies like Google, Twilio, Cisco, Microsoft, and others. Going with a reliable company helps guarantee continued support for new mobile operating systems and tech support if something goes wrong.
- Ease of account recovery: Business relationship recovery is the biggest pain point with two-factor hallmark, so we looked for apps that offered multiple means to recover an account, whether through a back up line, some type of device backup, or other means.
- Optional backups: The security researchers nosotros spoke with said they don't recommend backing up or syncing a two-factor authentication account because then your tokens are on the company's servers, which could be compromised. So we looked for authenticators that left this feature opt-in. For the apps that exercise offer backups, we looked for articulate explanations of how the backups worked, where they're stored, and how they're encrypted.
- App security: We looked for apps with support for Pivot or biometric locks, and so yous can add another layer of security, such as Face ID or your telephone's fingerprint scanner, to the app if you want.
How we tested
Afterward interviewing experts and picking the feature criteria, we read reviews of the apps on Google Play and Apple's App Store, and we dug through each app programmer's website looking for white papers virtually the company'due south security measures, support procedure, and app features. One time nosotros settled on Authy as our pick, we reached out to Twilio for details about its security practices and processes.
Nosotros used each app to add new accounts, re-create and paste codes, and examination out features such equally renaming accounts, changing icons, and performing push notification logins. If an app supported backups or multiple devices, we tried recovering accounts on new devices this mode. If it didn't, we tested how the recovery process worked.
Our pick: Authy
Our selection
Authy has the best combination of features, security, and support of any 2-factor authentication app nosotros tested. It's available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux (Chromebook owners can apply the Android app), information technology's fast at setting up new accounts, and its large icons and simple pattern let you hands find the lawmaking yous're looking for. Authy has support from its parent company, Twilio, then the apps are e'er updated for new operating systems. Authy supports password and biometric locks, and Authy is the just app we tested with multi-device support and optional backups to ease business relationship recovery.
In add-on, Authy is the simply authentication app we tested that's bachelor on both smartphone and desktop, and it has feature parity betwixt the platforms as well. Authy works with whatsoever site that uses TOTP and with whatsoever site that supports Google Authenticator; if a site doesn't specifically mention support for Authy simply does mention compatibility with Google Authenticator, Authy nevertheless works.
No 2-cistron authentication app makes getting the hang of using multi-gene authentication especially like shooting fish in a barrel, merely Authy at least employs thoughtful app design to make the experience as painless equally possible. We especially similar Authy's large icons and grid-based design, which lets you lot chop-chop browse your tokens and observe the one yous're looking for. Authy pulls icons automatically from websites when you add a new account, something few other apps bother to practise. Navigating the app is straightforward, and you can rearrange, delete, add, and search for accounts if you have so many tokens that they're hard to find. This system is much nicer than Google Authenticator's manifestly, icon-gratis blueprint. Authy also offers instructions for how to enable two-gene hallmark on several popular sites.
Twilio, a deject communications company, runs Authy. The Android and iPhone apps both receive updates frequently. Authy makes it articulate why the app exists and why information technology's free: Authy's authentication software is made for businesses, which help bankroll the app. This is a similar model to that of Duo. Since apps, particularly complimentary ones, don't come with warranties or guarantees of whatsoever kind, Authy's history of frequent updates and a clear, public business organization model is the best we can promise for. Twilio has published a white paper with its security practices (PDF), including its compliance requirements and threat management, though we'd like to see 3rd-political party researchers examination Authy's backup organization for vulnerabilities.
If you lose your telephone, yous lose access to your authentication app. To solve this problem, most hallmark apps offer cloud backups (even though security experts tend to recommend confronting using this feature), and some makers of authentication apps are amend than others near explaining how (or if) they encrypt these backups. Authy is the only app we tested that offers two security features that assistance in account recovery: an encrypted cloud backup and support for a secondary device.
Authy provides an option, disabled by default, to back up your tokens online. These backups are encrypted on your device earlier they're uploaded, so nobody at Authy has admission to your accounts. Your password is never sent to Authy, which means that even if someone were to hack Authy, they nonetheless couldn't get your two-gene authentication tokens. It also means that if you forget your password, at that place'southward no recovery method.
These backups go far possible to recover your tokens if yous lose a phone or motion to a new device. This way, you don't have to manually scan new QR codes or enter backup codes to go into your accounts. However, the security experts we spoke with recommended confronting using cloud backups for two-cistron authentication tokens. David Temoshok noted, "When you mix together different hallmark factors, you get into bug. Something you know plus something else you know isn't two-gene authentication." Even though these backups are encrypted, someone could theoretically pause that encryption and get your tokens because they are uploaded online, fifty-fifty though we do not have testify that this has happened thus far. Security experts advise keeping the recovery codes that sites provide yous after y'all enable ii-factor authentication (they're one or more long strings of letters and numbers) in a secure location where you lot tin admission them fifty-fifty if you lose your phone.
You lot can also install Authy on a secondary device, such as a computer or tablet, and use that device in tandem with backups to recover your account in example you lose your phone. Authy calls this feature "multi-device." Once you add the second device, Authy recommends, you should disable the characteristic so that someone else can't add withal another device to take control of your account (Authy will still work on both devices). With backups and multi-device enabled, your tokens sync across all the devices Authy is installed on. This arrangement offers the benefit of making it easier to recover all your tokens if you lose your telephone, but information technology also involves the trade-off of providing an additional way for someone else to become into your accounts—the more devices your tokens are on, the college the risk of someone else getting into them. Multi-device adds an actress layer of security to those backups, though: With Authy installed on ii devices, such as a phone and a tablet, you can always meet which other devices have Authy installed and revoke access at whatsoever bespeak. In order to install Authy on a new phone, yous demand to have physical access to one of the other devices yous've already installed Authy onto.
If you lose your phone and do non have multi-device or backups enabled, Authy has a back up line to help you gain admission to your account again. In this process, you lot type in your telephone number then Authy sends a verification email, which you can verify by clicking a link. Over the class of 24 hours, Authy shares the status of this process through several channels, alerting you so that if you did not initiate the reset y'all can finish it from happening. At the end of this process, you will be able to reinstall Authy using your phone number. This process gets you back into your Authy business relationship, just if you didn't enable backups, you notwithstanding won't have your TOTP tokens.
You can lock the Authy app behind a Pin or a biometric ID such every bit a fingerprint or a confront scan. If your phone is already locked this way (and it should exist), this actress step isn't necessary, but information technology's a nice touch if you want to use a dissimilar PIN for added security. Duo Mobile, Google Authenticator, and Microsoft Authenticator all likewise support at to the lowest degree PIN logins or biometric logins.
Flaws simply not dealbreakers
The biggest potential flaw of enabling two-gene authentication is that if yous lose your device, y'all can lock yourself out of your accounts unless you also enable multi-device or enable backups. This drawback is inherent to every two-cistron authentication app.
Some of Authy'south avant-garde features, such equally backups and multiple-device support, aren't obvious when y'all first install the app. In addition, Authy poorly explains how those features piece of work in the app itself, and it fails to clarify the security risks when you enable them. The website does an excellent job of explaining multi-device and backups, and information technology would exist nice if that information were too attainable in the app itself.
How to set and apply Authy
Most people use Authy primarily on their phone, then permit'south get-go there:
- Download the app from Google Play or Apple tree's App Store.
- Open the app; Authy asks for your mobile phone number and electronic mail address.
- Authy sends you a PIN over text message. Enter that lawmaking in the app.
At present, let'southward walk through what it's like to set upward two-factor hallmark on a site. Every website is a little different, only Authy includes guides for the most pop sites, and the Two Factor Auth (2FA) list includes nearly every site that supports ii-factor authentication. As an example, hither'southward how information technology works on a Google account:
- Log in to your Google account (it's much easier if you lot practice this from a computer).
- Click the Security tab on the left side.
- Select 2-Step Verification.
- Reenter your countersign.
- Find the "Authenticator app" choice and click Set.
- Select Android or iPhone and click Next.
- Google displays a QR code. Open the Authy app on your phone. On Android, tap the three-dot menu and then Add business relationship. On iPhone, tap the Add together Account button, with the big + symbol.
- Tap Scan QR Code and use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code from Google. Tap Washed on your telephone.
- The account is now in Authy, only it's not enabled withal. Dorsum on Google, click Side by side. So, enter the six-digit lawmaking from Authy. Click Verify.
- You will see a "Backup codes" option. This is how you can get back into your Google account if you lose your telephone and access to the Authy app. Save these codes. Impress them out and shop them somewhere you'll be able to access them if yous lose your phone.
You demand to do this for every account on which you desire to enable 2-factor hallmark. You should do then for any account that has personal information, including your countersign manager, electronic mail, conversation apps, social networks, banking company sites, cloud fill-in services, or anywhere you're storing health data. This process can have a while if yous're starting from scratch, simply in one case you get your backlog in order, y'all won't need to prepare new accounts often. Information technology'southward critical that you save the backup codes each account provides, every bit that is the nearly secure style back into your business relationship in case you lose your telephone.
If you do not trust yourself to hang on to the backup codes a website provides, consider using Authy'due south encrypted backup. Security experts recommend against this, and using the feature means you're trading security for the convenience of being able to get back into your accounts fifty-fifty if you lose the backup codes. Authy encrypts your account on your phone, and so nobody at Authy can get access, but even though it's encrypted with AES-256 (Avant-garde Encryption Standard), someone could theoretically intermission that encryption and get your tokens because they are uploaded online, though we do not take evidence that this kind of infiltration has happened thus far. If y'all get the fill-in route, the all-time configuration for this setup is to have backups enabled with Authy installed on a secondary device merely with multi-device disabled. You besides need to pick a strong password you lot haven't used for anything else. Since you practice not need to log in to Authy oftentimes, it'southward very easy to forget what this password is, but Authy does at to the lowest degree periodically inquire you to re-enter your password to help ensure that you remember it.
Other cracking options
The all-time authenticator is the ane you'll employ. If your employer or school requires y'all to employ a specific app, y'all should use it for all your other two-factor authentication purposes (every bit long as the app is not connected to the specific device, the establishment doesn't take the ability to remote-wipe the storage bulldoze, and the institution does non own your login). About of these options are nevertheless secure and reliable for everyday employ.
If you employ a lot of Microsoft applications and services, Microsoft Authenticator is a useful tool that supports passwordless logins (which are more secure) for Microsoft apps such equally Office, OneDrive, and Outlook. It likewise supports TOTP codes. Microsoft includes a cloud backup option too, though information technology's not as clear equally Authy near how the encryption on those backups works. Like Authy, the Microsoft Authenticator has colorful icons for each service that makes information technology easier to skim for the login you're looking for.
Duo, which is part of Cisco, is a popular enterprise pick for two-cistron authentication, and so at that place's a chance your employer or school may already require y'all to use it. Characteristic-wise, it's similar to Authy, with TOTP passcodes and an optional backup that uses either iCloud or Google Drive to store your tokens.
Nearly people don't use Salesforce, just if yous do, its two-factor hallmark app provides the more secure passwordless login for Salesforce every bit well as TOTP codes for everything else. We like that the visitor makes its security measures clear (PDF). The app isn't equally useful if y'all don't use the Salesforce platform, but if you do, it's worth using for the rest of your tokens too.
Single-purpose authenticators can besides be useful, and they're often required by some services that don't support third-political party apps similar Authy. Apps such every bit the Blizzard Authenticator, Xfinity Authenticator, or Zoho'due south OneAuth provide one-tap login approvals or their ain lawmaking-generation systems. If a Spider web service doesn't support Authy, yous should use that service's application.
What about hardware authenticators?
A hardware authentication fundamental is more secure than a software-based authentication app on your phone because it untangles security from your not-always-secure phone and is less susceptible to phishing, merely it comes with increased take a chance if you lot lose it, and it costs money to purchase. On summit of that, although fill-in and recovery methods are available for authentication apps, once you lose a key, y'all could be locked out of your accounts for expert. That said, in a phone interview, independent contractor Jim Fenton told me, "Nosotros define three different levels of authentication, and the highest level requires a hardware authenticator." We plan on testing hardware authentication keys in the future.
The competition
If you search for "authenticators" in the Google Play store or Apple App Store, you'll come across dozens of apps in the search results. Some of these apps are unmarried-purpose authenticators, but others come up from smaller teams—and some may exist nefarious. We think the increased support from a larger company is worth sticking with an app like Authy, Duo, or Microsoft Authenticator.
Google Authenticator helped create the standard of 2-factor authentication, merely it has lagged behind other authenticators in basic ways. The app doesn't employ icons, which makes finding codes chop-chop more difficult, peculiarly if you accept dozens of accounts. The app frequently lags behind on software updates when a new mobile operating system update is released, peculiarly on Apple's phones, which has caused issues opening the app in the by.
The LastPass Authenticator is like to Google Authenticator in that it doesn't use icons, so finding codes is harder. It does at least back up locking the app backside a PIN or a biometric login. LastPass limits the authenticator'south extra features, such as its optional encrypted backup and ane-tap verification, to LastPass password manager customers, and then those features are useful just if that's your countersign manager.
Our favorite countersign director, 1Password, includes a built-in authenticator, but all the security experts we spoke to were hesitant to recommend putting all your eggs into one basket in this manner—on the off chance someone were to gain admission to your 1Password account, they'd take admission not but to your passwords but too to your authenticator. If yous don't use two-cistron authentication otherwise, 1Password's option is still meliorate than nothing, just keep in listen that yous'd even so want Authy to protect your 1Password business relationship.
Sources
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Stuart Schechter, contained scientist , e-mail interview , August 13, 2019
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David Temoshok, senior policy advisor at NIST , phone interview , September 12, 2019
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Jim Fenton, independent consultant , telephone interview , September 12, 2019
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Matt Elliott, Two-factor hallmark: How and why to utilize it, CNET , March 28, 2017
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Nabeel Saeed, senior product marketing director for Twilio Business relationship Security , email interview , September 27, 2019
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-two-factor-authentication-app/
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