Re:Ask HN: GitHub Requires 2FA – What For?
by solardev on Monday February 05, 2024 @03:32PM
(#39266728)
You can use something like 1Password to just save the 2fa to the cloud, so you can sign in on any device. In that case it's tied to your master password and secret key instead of a particular device.
This does change the 2fa from "something you know and something you have" to "two things someone else knows", but in day to day use it's way more convenient than a phone authenticator.
If any device dies, you can login on a new device with your master password and secret key. Typically you would print out the secret key and keep it somewhere safe, or else save it somewhere else you can access.
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With standard 2fa you can also print put recovery codes, but that's such a pain to set every service back up when you change phones. Having them in the cloud means it's account based and not device based. Way easier, probably less secure.
This does change the 2fa from "something you know and something you have" to "two things someone else knows", but in day to day use it's way more convenient than a phone authenticator.
If any device dies, you can login on a new device with your master password and secret key. Typically you would print out the secret key and keep it somewhere safe, or else save it somewhere else you can access.
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With standard 2fa you can also print put recovery codes, but that's such a pain to set every service back up when you change phones. Having them in the cloud means it's account based and not device based. Way easier, probably less secure.