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Ask HN: How do you deal with TOTP 2-factor auth?

9 points by mort96 ↗ HN
I asked this on Mastodon too (https://fosstodon.org/@mort/111046321693058214), but it feels relevant for HN too.

Since this github 2fa thing is happening, I'm gonna need a better solution for 2fa. So far I've used Authy on my phone for work stuff. That's fine. But for personal stuff, I want more control.

What good open-source options do you all prefer to deal with TOTP? I'm thinking I'll use Bitwarden to sync TOTP keys, since I already use them for passwords, which means I need apps which let me freely and easily copy those secrets around. I use Linux, iOS and macOS, so I'll need apps for all those platforms.

I'm not interested in moving to a different password manager, and I'm even less interested in moving to a closed source password manager. (Imagine that, handing all your passwords to some closed source application from some random US company in the name of security...)

20 comments

[ 4.3 ms ] story [ 63.3 ms ] thread
dale_glass
You can try this: https://www.themooltipass.com/

It's a hardware device with TOTP support. It works as an USB/Bluetooth keyboard and will type passwords for you.

mort96
Completely uninterested in a hardware device.
NoZebra120vClip
While you're busy shooting down perfectly good recommendations, perhaps it would be helpful for you to explain your threat model and security considerations. Because the way you're planning to shove your secrets into your password manager is reducing your 2FA to 1FA, after all. Furthermore, your demand for exportable secrets is defeating most of the security of TOTP secrets. High-quality authenticators don't make any provision for exports.

So if you just want some security theater and you just want to tick the box that reads "2FA" and you don't actually want more security than a username and a password, then knock yourself out, and do what you propose, but I'm not going to be here suggesting anything better for you.

mort96
My threat model is: I'm perfectly fine with the security of just using a password manager and I have no need for the additional security provided by 2FA but GitHub will lock my account if I don't add 2FA, so I'm trying to find the least impractical and way to add 2FA with the lowest chance of accidentally locking myself out of my account due to losing a hardware device or phone.

My absolute requirements are:

* I must be able to log in without a phone. I will not let Apple be the arbiter of whether I'm allowed to log in to my accounts or not.

* I must not have to carry around an extra hardware device everywhere I go.

* I must not get locked out of my accounts if I lose a device.

* I must be able to log on to random other systems (other people's computers, temporary VMs, whatever), though in these situations, having to rely on a phone is acceptable.

* Whatever solution I pick must not include switching password managers or depending on some closed source service.

jdenning
These requirements are pretty tough to meet. The above answer about using KeePassXC on desktop, and syncing the db to your phone is probably the best solution, as it meets every requirement except not switching password managers.

If you like Bitwarden, it will do what you want if you pay for their premium account. If you don't want to do that, you can host your own bitwarden server (I think that this implementation does 2FA, but I'm not positive:

https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden

makapuf
I use FreeOTP on mobile https://freeotp.github.io/ : it's another device than my computer (storing this on the same computer kind of defeats the purpose), Free, seems trustable, practical, works with all the sites that need it. (edit: link)
mort96
I looked at FreeOTP, but it doesn't let me export keys, so it's not what I'm looking for.
qhwudbebd
If you're importing the key into FreeOTP, you could just take a second copy of the key to store elsewhere too? TOTP keys are just short base32-encoded bitstrings.
palashkulsh
I use oathtool to generate totp and copy it with xclip or pbcopy. You can take back up of this bash script anyway you like
mort96
I don't think I can do that on iOS.
roosgit
Dealt with it a few hours ago. Because of GitHub, as well.

I chose KeePassXC on the desktop. It has a database which you can move around, backup it. There is an app for Linux and MacOS 10.13+ (because of Qt5). For iOS, a quick search shows up something called KeePassium.

These apps seem to work with a certain database format (kdbx), so for sync you might need to place the database somewhere online (iCloud, as an example). Otherwise, you might not need syncing if you don't add 2FA accounts to your database that often.

mdwalters
I personally use Proton Pass' (browser extension and mobile app) OTP feature. Yes, it is (primarily) a password manager, but it can add OTP keys without a password. I would have reccommended GNOME Authenticator, but it corrupted my OTPs and couldn't start.
ajyey
1password and Raivo on iOS as a backup
qhwudbebd
I read your requirements and threat model further down the thread, which is really helpful when thinking about possible solutions.

Before being comfortable recommending anything, I have question about GitHub's 2fa implementation here, which others may be able to answer.

Without 2fa, an account can be accessed if you compromise the password (which might be long and high entropy or equally might be terrible) but not otherwise.

If totp (or sms) 2fa is enabled and the 2nd factor is compromised but the password is not, is there any action that can now be performed against the account which couldn't previously, when 2fa wasn't enabled?

My question is essentially: is the 2fa purely extra security, or is it trusted without the password in any situation? If I publish my text messages world-readable in real-time and post the TOTP key in the local newspaper, is my GH account still secure provided the password remains as secret as it was previously?

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mkbkn
I use Bitwarden's TOTP feature for all the sites where 2FA is mandatory, which is trading websites in my country.