46 5 - 18 February 2020
What we liked:
Duo Security
creates its own
two-factor
authentication
(2FA) software that
ompanies can buy
toaddsecure login
services totheirwebsites. As a
by-product, Duo Security has a
free app called Duo Mobile, which
its clients can give to their users
to help them sign in. It’s to our
benefit that this free app doesn’t
just work with Duo Security’s
tools, but with any 2FA service
that complies with the basic
standards.
This is great news because
it means that we get a
professionally developed app,
with all the bells and whistles,
at no cost. Duo Mobile is easily
the most attractive and best
designed of all the apps we’ve
reviewed here. Setting up a new
passcode is as simple as tapping
the plus icon at the top, then taking a
photo of the code that your chosen
service displays.
When it comes to organising services,
you can arrange them how you like.
Icons are used to help with at-a-glance
selection, and you can choose whether
to have passcodes on display for
convenience, or tucked away to be
accessed with a tap as they’re needed.
You can use the Duo Mobile service
on more than one device and it can be
set to create a backup on Google Drive
to make it easier to transfer accountsfrom one device to another.
Duo promises push notifications, so
some services don’t even require you to
enter the security code – you can just
tap a message to accept an ‘is this you’
notification that pops up on your device.
We didn’t see this on any of the services
we signed up to, however, so it may only
be available on websites that use Duo’s
software to create their login tools.How it can be improved:
Duo Security is owned by Cisco, and is
transparent about the fact that it
gathers data on how its users are
interacting with its tools. You can switch
this off in the settings but it’s worth
having a look at the privacy policy at
bit.ly/duopriv494 for more information.OUR VERDICT
Duo is a slick, simple-to-use app
that irons out most of the hassles
that surround 2FA. Most sites still
make you put in a passcode rather
than sending you a notification,
but that’s what makes the system
so secure. Managing and organising
your accounts is as easy as it gets,
and you can customise the layout to
suit your needs.Passwords are a
notoriously poor
way to protect your
precious online
accounts. Andy Shaw
tests six apps that
provide an extra
layer of security
using your phone
Best two-factor
authentication apps
DuoMobile | bit.ly/duomob494 bit.ly/duoapp494| ++++++++++
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