What are my options for two-factor authentication that doesn't require a backing service (cloud/SMS)?

zoroa
2023-09-28T21:07:49Z

I'm not new to two-factor authentication (2FA) as a concept, but available options and how they'd fit into a workflow has always felt somewhat opaque. Everytime I've been required to use 2FA, I've used SMS despite knowing how insecure that really is.

GitHub's 2FA requirement is about to lock me out of my personal account, so I figured it's time to get a grasp on this:

What second factors are available to me and what do the workflows looks like?

Preferably these second factors wouldn't require me to sign up for some associated service.

What are my options for redundancy?

Can I have multiple second factors?

Where are you supposed to keep recovery codes? (I've read that keeping them in your password manager essentially defeats the purpose)

What happens if I screw up and lose my second factor? With services that just have password requirements, you can use your email to reset, are there analogous systems for 2FA?

Comments URL: https://tildes.net/~tech/1avf/what_are_my_options_for_two_factor_authentication_that_doesnt_require_a_backing_service_cloud_sms

Votes: 18

Comments: 13