

#Authy desktop windows install
You install the Authy app on the phone, give it your phone number, and either click a verification link or enter a verification code. Setting up Authy to use your smartphone as a token is simple. Why would you switch to Authy? There are quite a few reasons I'll go into detail later. (Opens in a new window)Īuthy and Google Authenticator both build on TOTP, and in fact you can use Authy on any site that supports Google Authenticator.

Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. A malefactor who somehow plucks that one-time password out of the ether will find it useless within 30 seconds. You log in using your regular password, then enter the current one-time password from your device, and you're in. By convention, each TOTP is good for 30 seconds. Both the device and the server can generate a time-based one-time password by processing that key along with the current time. When the user registers a TOTP-supporting device with a secure website, a unique shared key is created. In 2011, the Internet Engineering Task Force released a standard for Time-based One-Time Passwords (TOTP) (Opens in a new window). A hacker who steals or guesses your password will be foiled by the authentication step that requires that token. Authy turns your smartphone into a physical token that's needed for login, along with the password. A password manager lets you use tough-to-remember passwords, but in a data breach it doesn't matter if your password was "* " or "password." You can vastly enhance your security by using a two-factor authentication scheme, and Twilio's Authy makes two-factor authentication easier than ever.Įxperts divide authentication factors into three types: something you know (a password, for example), something you have (a physical object), and something you are (a fingerprint or other biometric trait).
#Authy desktop windows how to

How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
