Ever received a message from a friend or colleague requesting to forward a 2FA code? Then, you must be wondering if there is a better way – there is and this Standard 2FA vs Shared2FA comparison article will show you how you can solve this problem.
Overview
Standard2FA
Standard 2-factor authentication, or 2-step verification, is simply the second level of security associated with a login. It is a process in which you need 2 different forms of verification to “prove” that it is you who is really logging in.
Without necessarily knowing it, you are familiar with this. You type in your username and password, and then you are asked for an additional level of authentication to sign in.
2-factor authentication comes in many forms. On your phone it could be a fingerprint, it could be a face ID.
Sometimes it is a DUO Push or a message that pops up on your phone asking you if you are “signing in,” but generally that 2-factor authentication step of logging in involves a text code being sent to your phone.
Standard 2FA Increases Security
2-factor authentication is important for you and your info because it adds an additional layer of security. Logging in with a username and a password is fairly secure, assuming that your password is strong.
Unfortunately, this does not provide ironclad security against hackers. All a hacker needs to do is guess your username, guess your password, and they can log in and access your information.
Hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated in their efforts, and online security is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue. From phishing, brute force, keylogging, and password spraying, the methods hackers are using to get passwords goes on and on.
If you have 2FA enabled on your logins, even if a hacker had your username and password, the hacker still would not be able to log in. That is the beauty of 2FA: The hacker would need access to the next layer of authentication, usually your phone, to be able to log in.
With one simple security measure enabled, you boost your online security, increasing your peace of mind and making sure your information stays secure.
This is all well and good. However, there may be instances where you may need to share 2FA codes.
This is where Shared2FA comes in.
Shared2FA
Now that we have discussed what standard 2FA is, let’s talk about what Shared2FA is and what it does. Shared2FA is a company that focuses on making 2-factor authentication code sharing easy and secure.
Why 2FA Code Sharing?
You might ask, “what do you mean 2FA code sharing” or “why would you need to share 2FA codes?” To answer that question, I will ask another.
Have you ever gotten a text from a family member, a friend, or more likely, a colleague, that says the following? “Hey sorry to bother you, you should have just gotten a text with a code on it, could you send that to me?”
Or maybe you have tried logging in to an account, you typed in your username and password, and it says the following. “2-factor authentication code has been sent to ***-***-**89” and you realize that the code you need was sent to somebody else’s number?
That is the thing about 2FA code sharing. It is a serious hassle and it’s costly, and it is a problem that businesses face all the time.
Use Shared2FA To Avoid Wasting Time
When team members are waiting for a 2FA code, company time is wasted and productivity plummets. Sometimes the phone number associated with that login account is the business owner’s, and what if he/she is in a meeting?
Time is wasted in the wait, and by the time he/she forwards the text, the code might be expired, and another needs to be sent. Maybe he/she left early for the day, or maybe he/she is on vacation.
Another situation where this is a frequent problem is where businesses have overseas workers. Sometimes those 2FA codes are sent in the middle of the night, and those codes can’t be sent until the morning.
When that happens half a day of work could be wasted.
All that hassle and loss of productivity can be solved by using Shared2FA. Instead of sending those 2FA codes to one person’s phone, we send them directly to a private, designated slack channel.
With Shared2FA, the right team members can access those codes without ever having to bother leadership.
Sleep Without Worries
Having Shared2FA saves time, allows you to sleep easily, and eliminates the hassle associated with sharing 2FA codes securely and timely. With Shared2FA, there is no more waiting around; those codes are promptly forwarded to the right teammates.
You hired your employees because they’re good at what they do, so why not let them do it? When you eliminate the need for repetitive authentication code sharing, your team members can do what they do best – work!
With Shared2FA, both you and your employees can focus on working effectively on the things that matter. It keeps your systems secure by sharing those codes only with the people that need them.
Say goodbye to constant interruptions as Shared2FA grants access automatically to the people that need them.
How Does it Work?
Standard 2FA
You are all familiar with how Standard 2FA works. Upon logging in with your username and password, you are directed to verify that it is really you that is logging in, and you can do so in many ways.
Again, that could be a fingerprint, and face scan, or a security question or phrase that you need the answer to. You could also use Google Authenticator as your 2-factor authentication method.
For most, however, the second form of verification comes in the form of a text to a phone. Notice that with all these methods, you are the one logging in and only you are receiving that 2FA code required to log in.
This is the limitation of standard 2FA. What if you have multiple people that need access to your account?
You want 2FA enabled as an additional security measure. Having a shared username and password increases the chance of a possible security breach, and standard 2FA code sharing is a hassle.
Shared2FA
With Shared2FA you can have shared accounts, with shared usernames and passwords, and still share those codes while maintaining security.
When onboarding with Shared2FA, you sign in with Slack, and you choose a “phone number,” which you connect to your desired slack channel. You turn on 2-factor authentication for your login and use the number you were given from Shared2FA as the 2FA phone number.
After inviting the Shared2FA app to the designated slack channel with “/Shared2FA” you are all set! Upon any login, that SMS message containing your code will be sent directly to your designated slack channel.
It is that easy!
Some have asked, “for my 2FA, I receive a phone call, and the code is given verbally, can Shared2FA do that as well?” The answer is yes.
The Shared2FA app can transcribe those types of messages and deliver them to your slack channel just as an SMS message would. Anytime you log in, an API will send that code where it needs to go.
Google Authenticator
Shared2FA also works for 2FA forms that require a QR code and/or 2FA code cycling. Google Authenticator is a perfect example of this.
For onboarding with Google Authenticator, you sign in to your google account, and “enable 2-step verification” and select “Google Authenticator.” You will then be directed to scan a QR code with your phone’s camera to connect the Google Authenticator app to your login.
Instead of doing so with your phone, you will do so with the Shared2FA app. Click “unable to read QR code,” then copy and paste the code that it gives you into the Shared2FA app.
After the setup, you can receive those google authentication codes in your slack channel whenever you want. Upon logging in with your username and password, your “Google Authentication code” is required.
To access the code, type “/shared2fa code” in the message bar in Slack and the code will arrive in your Slack channel.
Another question that we get is if Shared2FA can send 2FA codes if the computer is not connected to the internet. The answer to that question is no.
If the computer is not connected to the internet, then the API can’t send the code. When would you log into a website online, and be able to send the code, but not have internet access?
Features Compared
Standard 2FA
Although many consider having to use 2FA for logins as an annoyance, especially when required, the benefits outweigh the costs. Standard 2FA allows for increased security, almost guaranteeing that your account won’t be hacked into.
As mentioned above, even if a hacker has access to your password, he won’t have the 2-step verification that he needs. With this increased security, employees can access corporate or sensitive information easier, including documents, data, and systems, that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
Having standard 2FA enabled decreases identity theft and fraud, and allows for better security in online relationships. Having a breach in security for your business can be detrimental to the culture and branding. Enabling 2-factor authentication is a safeguard from that.
Shared2FA
All in all, having 2FA enabled provides security and peace of mind, keeping your organization secure. Shared2FA has all the features of standard 2FA but allows users the ability to share those codes easily.
Standard 2FA is essential for doing business in the 21st century, but the moment that you need to share those codes, 2FA becomes a serious annoyance. Many are even tempted to turn off the 2-step verification that they enabled for greater security.
Shared2FA allows businesses, teams, and organizations to reap all the benefits of standard 2FA while also being able to share codes effortlessly.
Pros and Cons Compared
Standard 2FA
We have discussed the pros of using standard 2FA above, but it is also important to mention the cons. Most standard 2FA options rely on a smartphone to use, whether that is via SMS messages or DUO pushes.
If you lose your phone or it gets stolen, you can’t log in. If your phone runs out of battery, you can’t log in.
Although not usually an issue for users, there’s also sending fees generally associated with SMS 2FA codes. Also, if you were in a building or other location with poor cell reception, SMS 2FA may be blocked.
Those are serious cons that can create some hassle for standard 2FA users. For 2FA methods such as fingerprints or face recognition, there are also cons that could affect the ability of users to use them.
For example, with a small cut on your finger, the pattern required to log in could be unavailable.
With any form of standard 2FA, if your ability to use 2FA became lost, stolen, or compromised, logging in and resetting the method for 2FA could be a serious pain.
Shared2FA
For Shared2FA, the greatest con at this point is the fact that it requires users to use Slack. That is a limitation of the application at this point, though other communication platforms will be added in coming releases.
Real-World Examples and Applications
Standard 2FA
There are many instances where you would want to enable standard 2FA for your logins, as there are many benefits. Maybe you are a software developer, and you have enabled standard 2FA for your log in for added security for the business and software.
Or maybe you just want to enable standard 2FA for your google sign-in. Either way, making the choice to use 2FA will allow for greater security and peace of mind.
Another common use of standard 2FA is logging in to public computers and using 2FA can make sure that your information is protected.
A great example of this is professors in universities. They often lecture in different lecture halls and need to log in to public computers to access information such as presentations.
I use standard 2FA on my personal and professional email accounts. I do so to make sure that my information is secure, and to decrease the likelihood of identity theft.
Whenever you use a computer to log in to an account, using standard 2FA is valuable and worth your time.
Shared2FA
Again, you should use Shared2FA when sharing 2FA codes is necessary. I will give several examples.
The first, which we touched on briefly above, is when a business is employing overseas workers who will need 2FA codes for work. In this case, Shared2FA will be very helpful.
Not having Shared2FA will cause productivity to drop, and time to be wasted.
A couple of weeks ago I spoke with the founder of a medium-sized company. He told me that often those 2FA code requests from his overseas employees are sent in the middle of the night.
When that happens, he doesn’t get to them until the morning, sometimes wasting up to half a day of work.
The second example of when using Shared2FA is effective is when you have multiple employees who need access to your bank account. This could be a vice president, accountants, or bookkeepers, whomever they may be.
If they all need access to a bank account, instead of sending that 2FA code to a phone, Shared2FA will send it to a slack channel. Only those people that would need access to that bank account would be in that Slack channel.
A third example could be a group of employees that need access to your Amazon Vendor Central account. Again, that group of employees, no matter how many of them, would be in a designated slack channel for that shared account with access to the account.
You get the point. Whenever there is a team of individuals who all need access to a shared account, you will find Shared2FA extremely helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer to that question depends on who you are and what you are trying to do. For personal use, a fingerprint, face ID, or security question works just fine.
For someone who is needing to be more secure, they might want something more sophisticated than a security question. Find the 2FA that works best for your needs and the type of security you desire.
Technically the answer to that question is yes. You can do whatever you would like with your accounts and security.
However, we recommend that everyone use some form of 2FA for all their logins, for increased security measures. As mentioned above, the security of your information and accounts is greatly enhanced by simply using 2FA.
It is an understandable question and very important to the topic of increased security. The answer is an emphatic yes!
There are approximately 10 million slack users a day and over 125 thousand companies that use Slack. Think about all the sensitive data that is passed back and forth on Slack.
Asking if Shared2FA and Shared2FA code sharing is secure depends more on your slack login’s security than anything else. If you have a weak password and a hacker can get in, then hypothetically they could access your 2FA codes.
To increase the security involved with your slack account, setting up standard 2FA is highly recommended.
Shared2FA costs $6 a month or $60 a year (essentially $5 a month if you sign up for the annual plan) per phone number that you are using for sharing 2FA codes.
Why would you have more than one phone number? A phone number can only be associated with one specific slack channel. If you needed to send codes to more than one slack channel you would need more numbers.
For example, let’s say you have two employees who need access to your bank, and five employees that need access to your Amazon Vendor Central account. You would need two separate phone numbers – one for each group of people.
If the same group of employees needed access to both your bank and your Amazon Vendor Central account, you could assign both services to a single phone number and Slack channel.
Conclusion
In this increasingly digital age of life and business, it is extremely important that our security measures keep up with the speed and evolution of change and innovation. Hackers are more and more adept at compromising our security and data.
One of the most common ways that this occurs is through logins, and more specifically, through passwords that weren’t sufficiently strong. Adding standard 2FA to your logins increases your security greatly, allowing for greater peace of mind.
A simple task that takes 5 seconds can add an extra layer of security and improve employee awareness. It helps you retain your company image and brand in a professional way and helps avoid possibilities of financial loss due to compromised data.
Shared2FA allows you to reap the benefits of standard 2FA but also allows you to share those 2FA codes with team members without the hassle they are accustomed to.
See your team productivity skyrocket while using Shared2FA, while saving you time and hassle. With as little as $6 a month, you never have to worry about 2FA code sharing again!
If you have any questions or concerns about Shared2FA, reach out to Shared2FA.com.
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