Unpopular opinion: two-factor authentication texts are not as safe as people think

I was reading through a report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation last week and found out that SMS-based two-factor authentication can be intercepted pretty easily through SIM swapping attacks. Like, I always thought getting that code sent to my phone was bulletproof. But apparently if someone calls your carrier and tricks them into moving your number to a new SIM card, they get all those codes straight to their phone. On the flip side, using an authenticator app is way more secure since it's tied to your device physically, not your phone number. But then my buddy argues that app-based stuff is a pain when you switch phones or lose your device. So which side do you lean on for your personal accounts? I'm trying to figure out if I should switch everything over to an authenticator app or stick with texts since they're easier.

2 comments

2 Comments

felix48819d ago

Yeah the SIM swap thing is scary, I read a tech blog that said it's way more common than people realize.

robinl9019d ago

SIM swapping is terrifying, I had a coworker who lost access to her whole email that way and it took weeks to sort out. I switched to an authenticator after that and honestly the app recovery codes they give you make phone changes way less scary than people think.