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Post by whippet on Nov 3, 2018 20:58:11 GMT
Thank you gents. I do not use a mobile phone, so Andy's suggestion will be the way to go for me. Peter. You said ' However TFA is only one piece of security and privacy; router, firewall, antivirus, and keeping software and OS updated are also extremely important. I consider safe computing an endless journey ... certainly not a destination'. Fortunately, I learned very early on about the importance of security, and I couldn't agree with you more. Where financial matters are concerned, I change passwords, email addresses etc. on a regular basis. And keep the details locked in my home safe. Because, of course, I would never remember them.  |
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Post by BuckSkin on Nov 3, 2018 23:17:43 GMT
Two-factor authentication using your phone is also not as safe as using it through an application I must say this about mobile phones: Until they recently sold out, there was a locally-owned hamburger joint where I ate my lunch almost every day. Sitting at one end of the bar was a big stereo "boom box" that the girls kept tuned to a classic rock station. This restaurant was located in a very busy intersection. I won't say all, because I have no way of knowing if it was all of them; but, many driver's cell phones would cut in on that radio for a couple hundred yards in either direction; we could sit there and distinctly hear every word that they said. We could only hear one end of the conversation, however, unless both parties were close. Curiously, people using their phone inside the joint did not cut in. Also, I have Cobra 29 radios in all of my trucks, with really good antennae, either Wilsons or FireStiks; often, I can clearly hear cell-phone users who are within a couple hundred feet of my truck. Like the boom-box in the restaurant, I can only hear one side of the conversation. I am sure such behavior could be taken advantage of in much the same manner that "skimmers" on gas pumps and money machines steal peoples information. |
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Post by Bailey on Nov 4, 2018 1:38:26 GMT
Two-factor authentication using your phone is also not as safe as using it through an application (Google and Microsoft both have free TFA apps). It isn't that hard for someone to compromise your phone if they so choose. My general attitude is that having any TFA is like having a car alarm - it doesn't mean your car can't be stolen, but it makes it a whole lot more work than going after the car that doesn't have the alarm. For me personally, I would think anyone who knows what they are doing, a web/app based TFA would be easier to bypass than a phone TFA system. With my online banking, which I do only from my home cable Internet connection, the sms message sent to my phone with the code clearly states the code is valid for only 5 minutes. I can't recall if my other accounts using TFA have a time limit on the codes or not as I hardly use them.
But no matter what system you use, no-one is going to give a 100% unconditional guarantee their system is totally secure. All we can do is make bad people jump through more and tighter hoops if they really, really want to hack/access our information. I will choose a phone based TFA over a web/app based TFA every time.
... Also, I have Cobra 29 radios in all of my trucks, with really good antennae, either Wilsons or FireStiks; often, I can clearly hear cell-phone users who are within a couple hundred feet of my truck. Like the boom-box in the restaurant, I can only hear one side of the conversation. ... Can you intercept their sms messages though which is what the TFA codes are sent as? |
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Post by Peterj on Nov 4, 2018 13:52:30 GMT
The saying goes "...is only as strong as the weakest link"
Cell phone's weakest link isn't the user, phone, nor password; but rather the cell network itself. Traffic from phone to nearest tower is pretty secure but traffic between towers no so much.
Using secure wifi with your cell phone bypasses this weak link, some smart phones have the capability to use wifi for calls.
My smart phone usage outside of my own wifi is extremely limited: phone calls, occasional texts, and navigation aids; I can count on 1 hand the times I used a banking app outside of my home.
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Post by BuckSkin on Nov 4, 2018 17:36:39 GMT
I can count on 1 hand the times I used a banking app outside of my home.
I may be old-timey, but I even refuse to use the bank's drive-thru; I like to walk up to the counter where I can look them in the eye. |
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