Search giant Google on Monday released a major update to its 12-year-old Authenticator app for Android and iOS, with an account sync option that allows users to back up their time-based one-time password (TOTP) codes to the cloud. announced.
“This change means that users are better protected from lockouts and the service can rely on users to maintain access, improving both usability and security,” said Google’s Christiaan Brand. increase.
The update brings a new icon to the Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) app, finally matching Apple’s iCloud Keychain, addressing a long-standing complaint that it’s tied to the device it’s installed on, and switching phones. annoyance at times.
Even worse, as Google puts it, users who lost full access to their devices “lost the ability to sign in to services they set up with 2FA using Authenticator.”
Cloud sync feature is optional. That means the user can choose to use her Authenticator app without linking it to her Google account. That said, you should always keep in mind the pitfalls associated with cloud backups, as malicious actors with access to your Google account could use it to break into other online services. .
The development comes days after Swiss privacy-focused company Proton, which surpassed 100 million active accounts last week, announced an end-to-end encrypted password manager solution called Proton Pass.
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An open source, publicly auditable tool that uses the bcrypt password hashing function and a hardened version of the Secure Remote Password (SRP) protocol for authentication, also comes with 2FA integration.
