Picked 2FA over a password manager and it's already backfired on me

Last month at my IT job in Austin I had to choose between using a password manager or setting up two-factor auth on every account. I went with 2FA because I didn't want to pay for Dashlane. Now I'm locked out of my own email because I got a new phone and forgot to transfer the authenticator app. Has anyone else had this happen with Google Authenticator specifically?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew69015d ago

Youre mixing up two different things. 2FA and password managers solve different problems. A password manager stores and generates your passwords securely. 2FA adds an extra layer on top of that. You could have used a free password manager like Bitwarden or even just the one built into your browser. Google Authenticator has no backup or sync option by design, which is exactly why you should use Authy or your phone's built in authentication if you switch devices. The real issue is that you chose the wrong solution for the wrong problem. You should have just started with a free password manager and then added 2FA later if you wanted it.

bennett.patricia15d ago

That "Google Authenticator has no backup or sync option by design" really got me... I learned that one the hard way too. Funny enough @drew690, my whole mess started because I couldn't decide which app to use. I actually wiped my old phone and then realized I never wrote down any of those backup codes either. Digital hoarding is real, I guess. Now I just keep a little notebook with codes written in it, which feels super old school but at least I can't lose it in the cloud.