#KRAKEN MASTER KEY PASSWORD#

The idea is that by providing the correct OTP on account login, you are demonstrating that you own the device because only that device could produce the correct OTP.

#KRAKEN MASTER KEY PASSWORD#

The OTP is “one-time” because it changes for every login and is sometimes called a “dynamic” password for this reason. When you set up two-factor authentication for your account, what you do is to set up a two-factor device (the “thing you own” such as a cell phone or Yubikey) to produce one-time passwords (OTP) that you input along with your traditional password on each login. For example, if you use your cell phone for the second factor and decide to store your password on the same phone, then you don’t really have two-factor authentication because anyone who steals your cell phone will also have your password. If you follow the standard ways of setting up two-factor authentication, you should end up with two independent channels, but you should still take a moment to think about what you are doing and make sure you aren’t crossing your channels. We already mentioned a vulnerability with traditional passwords – you wouldn’t want your second factor to have the same type of vulnerability. Second, the authentication factors shouldn’t share any vulnerabilities because this might leave them open to similar kinds of attack. First, the two authentication factors should be stored or implemented on different devices (“something you know” is just a way of saying that you can store a password in the device called your brain). Complete independence requires two things. It is important that the two channels be independent to reduce the chance that both channels are compromised at the same time. A better way to think about two-factor authentication is to see that it enhances account security by requiring two independent channels of authentication. This isn’t the best way to think about the two factors because many people today use password managers and don’t know all their passwords (a password manager is in some ways more akin to something you own than something you know). a password) and “something you own” (e.g.

Two-factor authentication is often described by saying that the two authentication factors involve “something you know” (e.g. This means that even if your password is stolen, there’s a good chance your account will still be secure if the second authentication factor isn’t compromised. Two-factor authentication can help overcome this problem by providing a second authentication factor that doesn’t require the authentication secret to be revealed during each login. You can minimize the danger by being careful, but even careful people regularly fall victim to attacks such as phishing, keylogging, or network sniffing. The vulnerability is that since the password itself must be entered every time you use it to log into your account, every login presents a chance for your password to be stolen. Also, the traditional system of password authentication has an inherent vulnerability.

Unfortunately, people don’t always create strong passwords or store them securely. To use this tool effectively, you should learn a little about how it works.Ī strong password that is securely stored (say in an encrypted file or in your brain) can go a long way toward securing an account. The second thing to understand about two-factor authentication, however, is that it is a tool with strengths and limitations. For email or financial accounts, where security is of the utmost importance, two-factor authentication is essential because it greatly reduces the chance that the account will be compromised. The first thing to understand about two-factor authentication is that you need it.

Kraken master key