Want to use MFA? Avoid MS Authenticator

[Wudang]

It works nicely but there is no way to move your data between android and ios. You may say you will never do so but in light of MS not giving an explanation why, my default assumption (c.f. Hanlon's razor) is incompetence. If they lack the skill to do a couple of RTFMs I don't trust them. Fortunately my main use site has a simple QR code system to set up a new authenticator.

and gently down.
Twats.

 

[plague311]

That's what 98% of our staff uses where I work. Setting up an authentication account takes about 5 seconds to do. I'm not a huge fan of Microsoft but the authenticator isn't all that bad. It's a bit more solid of an authentication process as it requires the user to type something into their phone that they see on the screen rather than vice versa.

I use Google Authenticator as well, and don't find either to be better than the other. They're fine. That being said, my Google Authenticator gave me more hell when I moved to a new phone than MS's did. It didn't tie to my email correctly and I had to go through a bit of back and forth between my old phone and my new one to get it to transfer right.

tl;dr meh, none of them are amazing.

 

[Wudang]

Yeah I used 3 FMA apps before and they all worked fine. I was just pissed of that MS authenticator is available on Android and iPhone but can't transfer data either way.
I remember a few years back transfering from an old to a new android and it being pretty smooth. I guess the MS authenticator developers for androind and ios still argue about which team nicked the others stapler or something so they don't talk.

 

[plague311]

Yeah I used 3 FMA apps before and they all worked fine. I was just pissed of that MS authenticator is available on Android and iPhone but can't transfer data either way.
I remember a few years back transfering from an old to a new android and it being pretty smooth. I guess the MS authenticator developers for androind and ios still argue about which team nicked the others stapler or something so they don't talk.

Your post kind of came at an interesting time too because we used to be an apple only cell phone shop, but now we're opening it up to allow the end users to choose either android or apple (except the Police Department, they all have to use iPhone). So this will probably come into play for me fairly soon and I relayed the information on to the others. We're just going to nuke all of the current 2FAs and have them set them up fresh on each phone.

 

[grmcdorman]

I use Stratum, formerly Authenticator Pro. It's open-source, has an encrypted backup capability, and the ability to show QR codes so you can easily import into other locations. Android only, though. Google Play link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stratumauth.app

 

[Dabop]

I hate sites that rely ONLY on giving you an SMS authenticator rather allowing you the option of email or SMS....

As where I live in rural Qld, I got internet- but no mobile phone reception- meaning if they 'ONLY' do 2FA via SMS, I have to go for a ten minute drive to get the bloody SMS...

I actually left my old bank because of that- their stance was SMS ONLY for online banking- and no way were they sending it a to an email (even after explaining to them that SMS simply wasn't an option in my case)- so my stance became 'close the account, and I'll take my business elsewhere...'

Funny thing was they were the last bank in our town that actually had a physical branch (now none at all) so the majority of the town had an account with them- now they have lost practically every account they had lol (and some of the rural farmers business accounts are bloody huge as in millions per year transactions...)

My credit union was quite happy to send the 2FA to an email account- just not my primary one listed with them (got several, so that wasn't an issue)- my statements, alerts etc go to my 'usual' email, and the 2FA email goes to an alternate one so I can actually order stuff online via the computer- instead of having to send the 'buy it now' link to the phone, get in the car and drive to where I get signal, then sit on the side of the road doing the order and wait to get the code there, before driving home again...

 

[grmcdorman]

And SMS 2FA is said to be not as secure as other options, notably the time codes. I'm not sure how secure 2FA email is, but the SMS option is definitely something the bad actors are also trying very hard to break.

 

[Dabop]

Until they either expand the current mobile network, or have other options available via the internet- any 'SMS only' site is a nogo for me... (I got internet via sat at home, but no phone service since they shut down 3G here- the 4G does NOT perform as advertised and despite their claims to the contrary, it's range is far less than the old 3G it replaced- 3G 'barely' worked here (as in stand in one particular spot in the yard ONLY and once you got a signal with one bar), you could hold a phone conversation- but DON'T MOVE... Now I got to drive ten minutes before I get to a place that there is a signal at all- waste of money buying a new 4G phone... :-(

 

[novaphile]

Until they either expand the current mobile network, or have other options available via the internet- any 'SMS only' site is a nogo for me... (I got internet via sat at home, but no phone service since they shut down 3G here- the 4G does NOT perform as advertised and despite their claims to the contrary, it's range is far less than the old 3G it replaced- 3G 'barely' worked here (as in stand in one particular spot in the yard ONLY and once you got a signal with one bar), you could hold a phone conversation- but DON'T MOVE... Now I got to drive ten minutes before I get to a place that there is a signal at all- waste of money buying a new 4G phone... :-(

Hmm...

If you are at home, you should be able to configure your mobile phone to connect via wi-fi (when available), and that should allow you to receive SMS messages, even though you are outside mobile phone coverage.

Worth a try.

 

[Dabop]

Hmm...

If you are at home, you should be able to configure your mobile phone to connect via wi-fi (when available), and that should allow you to receive SMS messages, even though you are outside mobile phone coverage.

Worth a try.

Nope- that doesn't happen with either the old 3g or the new 4g phone- when on wifi at the shed (I have been using that for years lol, so the phone can get emails and browse the net online va the sheds wifi instead of tying me to the laptop in the caravan), they do NOT get SMS's (which come through the cell network here only apparently)- if I go a week without going into range as I did not long ago- I got a flood of 'ping, ping, ping, ping's from the phone as soon as I got into range as a heap of SMS's came through all at once...
It is 'supposedly' enabled through 'Hel$tra', our (only) network provider, and the phone is a Telstra bought 4GX LG x230- but it has no option for wifi calling/SMS in its settings despite being bought less than a year ago... Seems that unless you are willing to pay big $$$ you don't get it...

 

[novaphile]

Nope- that doesn't happen with either the old 3g or the new 4g phone- when on wifi at the shed (I have been using that for years lol, so the phone can get emails and browse the net online va the sheds wifi instead of tying me to the laptop in the caravan), they do NOT get SMS's (which come through the cell network here only apparently)- if I go a week without going into range as I did not long ago- I got a flood of 'ping, ping, ping, ping's from the phone as soon as I got into range as a heap of SMS's came through all at once...
It is 'supposedly' enabled through 'Hel$tra', our (only) network provider, and the phone is a Telstra bought 4GX LG x230- but it has no option for wifi calling/SMS in its settings despite being bought less than a year ago... Seems that unless you are willing to pay big $$$ you don't get it...

Oh OK.

Well... Just in case it helps I'll share this:

Both of my mobiles stopped working (about two years ago) because of a change on Optus's network (no idea what they changed, maybe they turned off 2G?).

They advised me to call into one of their shops, and get new SIM cards.

When they checked my old cards they said:
"These are really old, there's all kinds of new stuff that you'll get with new sims."
"Those features are included in your plan, so it's a shame you haven't had access to them."

The new sims were free, and suddenly my phones could do WIFI calling, and updated SMS stuff.

There's probably other things that changed, that I didn't notice.

I had no idea that re-using the old SIMS was limiting the functionality of the phones.

 

[Dabop]

The sim for the new phone came with it, they just ported my number to it, so it 'should' have everything possible as of about a year ago when I got the new phone..

Because I live in a (VERY) rural area, we were advised to get a 4GX rather than a 4G phone (different band apparently- 4GX does 4G and a different 'long distance' frequency, not accessible to the 'normal' 4G phones) but the choice of phones was (still is) quite limited, and neither my 4GX or my partners even more basic 4GX seems capable of using wifi calling/SMS- which is stupid as country users like myself often have sat wifi (either Skymuster, or Starlink, which is rapidly taking all of Skymusters clients lol) which would make our lives a LOT better...

Mines a LG X-230 (a smart phone- well telstras idea of one anyway) my partners is a VERY basic Telsra ZTE- more like an old nokia than a smart phone- it 'can' access the internet (sorta) but it has physical buttons, and you use the old 'push once for A, twice for B, three times for C' type writing an sms/email on it- very restricting lol... with no touch screen... (mind you- I still paid over $270 for the LG, and even the ZTE was just under $200!!!)

This beast is the ZTE lol

Hell it's gone up since then!!! That's the same price basically I paid for my 'smart phone' 4GX at the time...
The LG...


Why I'd LOVE wifi calling- my place is where the arrow is (taken from the (dirt) road out the front when I bought my place lol

My driveway is 550m long- I can literally go from a standing start in the 8 tonne tilt-tray at the gate and be exceeding the state road 110kmh speed limit in it before I am anywhere near the end of it....

 

[bigred]

It works nicely

Not if you use the fingerprint thing it doesn't. I hate that POS. Takes like 10 tries every time to get it to read my print. A POS just like most anything else MS does.