This is something I am seeing more and more of. As companies start to either offer or require 2FA for accounts, they don’t follow the common standards or even offer any sort of options. One thing that drives me nuts is when they don’t offer TOTP as an option. It seems like many companies either use text messages to send a code or use some built in method of authorizing a sign in from a mobile device app.
What are your thoughts on why they want to take the time to maintain this extra feature in an app when you could have just implemented a TOTP method that probably can be imported as an existing library with much less effort?
Are they assuming that people are too dumb to understand TOTP? Are they wanting phone numbers from people? Is it to force people to install their apps?
*edit: I also really want to know what not at least give people the option to choose something like TOTP. They can still offer mobile app verification, SMS, email, carrier pigeon, etc for other options but at least give the user a choice of something besides an insecure method like SMS.
Simple answer. Our users complained about downloading an app to login to the app they just downloaded.
Users don’t care. They don’t want to download yet another app just to login. They want to use what they already have, like sms or email.
you only need one totp app… people baffle me.
And you should be using a password manager anyway, which can generate the token. Granted, it’s probably bad practice, since it defeats the two factor aspect.
Perfect security gets in the way of improved security. The best practice is a middle ground of security and convience. At least it depends on the threat level anyways.
Then at least make it an option. Just because someone’s grandma doesn’t want to use TOTP or any other reasonable 2FA doesn’t mean nobody else does.
We do. Our users can configure sms email or totp.
Funny you mention grandmas. Our user base is highly educated and the majority fall in the 30-50 year old range.
Sadly that’s true. I’m in that range and most of my friends use the same password for almost everything. Also nobody does backups.
Damnit, trying to convince people to use a password manager at all is like pulling teeth…
Stop setting every service you use to the same hunter2 password Frank! You get “hacked” because you can’t remember anything more complex, so use a fucking password manager already you Putz.