Remember when 2FA meant getting a text message?

I started using online banking back in 2008 and two factor authentication was just a code sent to my flip phone. Now I've got like 6 different authenticator apps on my phone plus a hardware token for work. Last week I had to use 4 different methods just to log into my old PayPal account from 2010. Anyone else feel like security keeps getting more complicated instead of simpler?

4 comments

4 Comments

spencer_coleman1mo agoTop Commenter

Nah, I prefer apps since texts can get intercepted or spoofed pretty easily.

lee8471mo ago

Ha, yeah man you got a point! I actually had a friend get catfished through a regular text once, it was a whole mess. SMS feels like sending a postcard, anyone can read it along the way.

stellaperry1mo ago

But apps aren't exactly bulletproof either, look at how many data breaches happen with them all the time. SMS is old school but at least it's built into the phone's basic system, not some random company's server you have to trust. I feel like both have their risks, just different kinds.

spencer_park261mo ago

Exactly what you said @lee847. My buddy Chad thought he was texting this girl from Tinder for like two weeks, turned out it was some dude spoofing a number from a burner app. Whole thing was a mess, had to get the cops involved because the dude was trying to blackmail him with old photos. That's the thing with SMS, anyone can grab a number online and pretend to be whoever they want. At least with apps you got some kind of verification and encryption, even if it's not perfect.