But not all two-step verification employs two factors! This 1Password update emphasizes that difference. Technically, all two-factor authentication requires two steps. I and many other people who write about security, along with many (not all) folks who work in the security industry use the terms “two-step” and “two-factor” interchangeably, which is confusing. Next you’ll have to scan the seed by tapping the QR code icon, or enter the text version. Any multifactor system picks at least two of these, and sometimes all three. Now the rubric with multi-factor authentication is that factors may be “something you know,” “something you have,” and “something you are,” which corresponds respectively and typically to a password, a physical device receiving or generating something, and biometrics (like fingerprints and retina scans).

I have to have them physically in my possession to validate a login. I haveĪ keychain-style doohickey from PayPal and one from E*Trade that carry out the same function, but they’re dedicated bits of plastic and silicon with a tiny LCD screen and contain their seeds locked in hardware. TOTP predates Google’s usage, of course, and was typically previously found largely in security cards and dongles used by corporations and financial sites. First you create a new entry or edit an existing one. The site validates that the number you entered matches its derivation, and grants you access.Īdding a TOTP to 1Password 5.2 for iOS is easy. Google Authenticator, an ecosystem of apps and synchronization likeĪuthy, or this new option in 1Password, you pull up the current time-bound sequence of numbers and enter them.

When you log in from a new computer or browser, or in other circumstances Google’s security algorithms require, you’re prompted to enter this factor. Google was the first mainstream site to add TOTP via an app, and still offers it today.

Use 1password for 2fa