INTRODUCTION
What is 2FA?Two-factor authentication or as we know it 2FA provides two component identification for users.
It increases protection for our accounts and fixes vulnerabilities of using only password method.
2FA confirms users dentities with two factors: 1. what people know and 2. what people have
There are 2 types of most used 2FA:
-
TOTP - Time-based Onetime Password (Google)
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U2F - Universal Second Factor (Google/Microsoft fixed issues of TOTP)
TOTP verify your identity based on a online shared secret between you and other provider.
When you log in, number code is generated by device, and then you have to type and send this code.
Server is then generating same thing and compares/validates your login.
Always try to use U2F if you can, as private key is never sent over the internet, and it is much easier to use.
You may find U2F on some well known hardware wallets as Trezor and Ledger.
We can agree that using any 2FA is much better than using simple password solution,
but it is not perfect, and it is based on centralized Google servers.
Do we need alternative for 2FA?I am 100% sure we need it!
We are becoming to attached to Google and services they offer, like Gmail, Youtube, Google 2FA, Google search.
They truck every single thing people are doing, and only way we can keep a bit off our privacy
is by slowly reducing usage of this services and gradually transition to alternative options we have.
d2FA - Decentralized Two Factor Authentication I was looking for someone in crypto space to create D2FA, as it can have real world usage application.
So far I discovered one project that was working very good in my testing.
It is made by team of ZelCoin and ZelCore wallet.
Zel IDA decentralized authentication protocol that is secure and private.
How it worksfrom official website
- Zel ID works with Hierarchical Deterministic Wallets (HD Wallets) and utilizes the blockchain as a decentralized and distributed database.
This allows a user to create an account, not by generating and storing a public (address) and private key but instead by utilising a username and password to peform the same action.
- This enables a user to login on multiple devices with a convenient set of credentials, allowing authentication on multiple platforms through digital signatures.
- d2FA keeps your account secure by also allowing a user-selectable PIN as a second layer of security.
- Zel ID, simple and secure authentication, is only strengthened with d2FA by creating an additional layer of security that is immune to exploits that current centralized 2FA systems encounter.
It is currently limited to showcasing ZelCore functionality. ZelID.io will soon feature a full integration of Zel Login and it's capability.
You can try and test it how it works yourself.
https://zelid.io/https://zel.network/Note:
You need 0.0002 ZEL to broadcast a d2FA transaction
Can d2FA be global?Sure it can.
Blockchain is perfect for this kind of application, as there is no single server used,
but rather whole blockchain is used, and that makes it much more secure.
Potential disadvantages- Users need to pay a small transaction fee
- Question of speed with global massive usage
CONCLUSION:I would love to see more projects working and developing this idea of d2FA,
as I think there is a real world usage, and it is one more way to bring more people in crypto space.
In order for this to happen, clear advantages of d2FA must be presented,
as only that way we can hope to replace current cetralized used 2FA system
If you know any other working alternative for google 2fa please write below.
I would love to explore this topic.
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