1Password for 2FA
The common security precaution is to never reuse the same password and the only sane way you can do that is by utilizing a password manager. There are few different companies making these and even Apple has one integrated, and I recommend you use one of these. Especially with how prevalent hacks are nowadays.
My password manager of choice is 1Password and it’s fantastic with its integration into all my Apple products. I can’t speak for Windows, Android, or any other operating system. Outside of just being a password manager it also offers an often forgotten feature where you can use it as an authenticator for two-factor auth.
They call this feature one-time passwords and to set it up all you need to do is visit the service where you want to add 2FA, get the QR screen and then follow these steps.
On the Mac
- Open and unlock 1Password, select the Login item for the website, and click Edit.
- Click the item type menu to the right of a new field and choose One-Time Password.
- Click
to open the QR code scanner window. - Drag the window over the QR code from the website.
If you can’t scan the QR code, most sites will give you a code you can copy and paste instead.
- Click Save.
On iOS
- Open and unlock 1Password, select the Login item for the website, and tap Edit.
- Tap “Add new one-time password”.
- Tap to scan the QR code from another device.
If you can’t scan the QR code, most sites will give you a code you can copy and paste instead.
- Tap Done.
Check their support docs for more details and for instructions on other operating systems.
After you have it set up the login flow is so smooth. You visit a site, it enters your user/pass combo, then automatically copies the 2FA code to your clipboard so you can then paste it in on the next screen. Finally, after a few seconds, it restores your clipboard back to what it was previously.
It’s amazing how nice the integration is and it works on all your computers, so when you are on your desktop you don’t even need your phone.