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My 2FA backup codes vanished when I needed them most
Last Tuesday I got locked out of my email account because my phone died and I didn't have my backup codes saved anywhere accessible. I thought I had them in a secure note on my phone, but that didn't help with a bricked device. Spent about 3 hours jumping through recovery loops, answering security questions from like 6 years ago. Finally got back in by proving I knew the date I created the account and some old sent emails. After that mess, I printed two copies of my backup codes and put one in my fire safe and gave one to my brother. Has anyone else had recovery options fail on them at the worst possible time?
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rayc834d ago
Your fire safe could get damaged in a flood" hit me weird cause nobody ever thinks about that part. I'd honestly rather just memorize one of the codes and keep it in my head, even if it takes a week to get it stuck in there.
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reeseanderson4d ago
You printed them and gave a copy to your brother, which is smart. But have you considered what happens if your brother loses his copy or if your fire safe gets damaged in a flood or something? I always wonder how many people actually test their recovery plans after setting them up. It's one thing to have codes saved somewhere and another to know those codes still work when you need them.
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