The Lemon Fool

ukmtk wrote:At work we use Microsoft Authenticator for 2FA.
I also have a hardware device like a calculator that does similar.
It saves me having my mobile on all the time (I only use the phone to track sport or when out shopping).
You might find you could use Microsoft Authenticator for the 2FA?
It's an app on your phone that is secured by your phone security.

I'm 100% not a techy but we used to have to use Microsoft Authenticator up until maybe the middle of last year. You logged on and then when through a separate process to "authenticate" yourself so as to be able to access work email, the internal networks and the work intranet.

Then, our tech department deployed some additional software which means that when you log-on it does all of that for you. However, we then deployed a new Oracle system which wasn't compatible with that so you have to complete sign on for that (albeit not through Authenticator) which is a minor irritant.

But these new systems are meant to save us a fortune ........ yeah right!

I have been to Microsoft in Seattle twice for a week each time - 1999 + 2006.

During the 1999 trip I showed an engineer that Googling a Microsoft question was faster than using MSDN directly.
He didn't believe me until we tried it and found that I was right.

Whilst out for dinner in 2006 one of the engineers asked if I had tried the new ribbon in Office.
I said "no - I was waiting for Open Office to do it" - he said they couldn't as it was proprietary - he didn't realise I was winding him up.

It was a fun place to be.
I couldn't have worked there though.

ukmtk wrote:I have 2FA on Amazon + Google. On Linux.
I use my mobile - even though it's not ultra secure it's fine for most people - especially if they are not in the public eye.

Erm, in this instance, I think the public eye is a red herring. The real-life stories I've heard are of sim swap attacks on people with no public profile.

Having said that, I use it myself.

Description of how sim swapping is done:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/privacy-and-safety/what-is-sim-swapping

Note that Which said Nationwide had better security using their card reader compared to having secure codes sent to mobiles.
Mind you some of the more recent banking apps can generate secure codes similar to the card reader.
I have also encountered banking apps that are tied to a specific device.