PC Magazine - USA (2019-11)

Readers

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YOUR COMMENTS

READER INPUT

TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

Hi Neil

I have read your columns for years, and they are

great. The 2FA [two-factor authentication] issue is

confusing for the layman. In order to avoid getting

locked out if one’s phone is lost, is Authy the best

option? And regarding password managers, Is

LastPass more secure than Dashlane regarding

handling and transmitting of password

information?

—Jeremy Bearman

NEIL'S ANSWER

All the 2FA systems have some kind of backup

built in; you just have to use it. For example, with

Yubikey or other FIDO-compliant keys, you can

associate more than one physical key with your

accounts. Keep one in your pocket, one in a

lockbox, for example. With some SMS-based

systems (they send you a text with an unlock code)

you can fall back on receiving a code by email.

With Google Authenticator (and work-alikes such

as Authy and Duo) you can associate more than

one phone, or sign in from a trusted computer to

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You ask about LastPass versus Dashlane; there’s

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is that it does not yet support the FIDO U2A

standard (backed by Google, Microsoft, and a host

of others). So that might give Dashlane an edge.

Overall, Keeper seems the most focused on

security. Keeper is what I use.

—Neil J. Rubenking

This month, we’ve got
a couple of reader
letters to share.