Google Authenticator for 2-Step Verification

hihi

Can you add the ability to use a software authenticator? Instead of SMS for account verification. SMS is more vulnerable and I would prefer not to use it, especially for a financial product.

I would love to see it added to the website/app both.

According to a recent whitepaper from Dekra, a safety certifications and testing lab, the security shortcomings of SMS can notably lead to:

  • SMS Interception: Attackers can intercept SMS messages by exploiting vulnerabilities in mobile carrier networks. This can allow them to read the contents of SMS messages, including sensitive information such as two-factor authentication codes, passwords, and credit card numbers due to the lack of encryption offered by SMS.

SMS Spoofing: Attackers can spoof SMS messages to launch phishing attacks to make it appear as if they are from a legitimate sender. This can be used to trick users into clicking on malicious links or revealing sensitive information. And because carrier networks have independently developed their approaches to deploying SMS texts over the years, the inability for carriers to exchange reputation signals to help identify fraudulent messages has made it tough to detect spoofed senders distributing potentially malicious messages.

These findings add to the well-established facts about SMS weaknesses, lack of encryption chief among them.

Ty!

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Hey @cmcalgary Thanks for bringing this up! I totally understand your concerns about SMS vulnerabilities and the need for stronger security measures like Google Authenticator. Your suggestion is valuable, and I’ll be sure to share it with our team as we’re always looking to improve our security features. If there are any updates or changes, we’ll keep you in the loop on this. Thanks again for the suggestion!

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