Winauth App Software That Wont

If you dont have a supported device, you can run an alternative application on your computer.

Two-factor authentication prevents people who know your password but dont have the app and its security key from logging in.

Someone with access to your computer could access your security key and log into your account however, if you dont have a smartphone, iPod touch, or other mobile device, using an app on your computer is more secure than not using two-factor authentication at all.

Winauth App Software That Wont

Its also likely that most stolen passwords are acquired via keyloggers and other types of software that wont try to steal the security key from your computer.

However, the two-factor authentication algorithm that Google Authenticator uses is an open standard that these apps have implemented.

Other services, including Dropbox, LastPass, Guild Wars 2, DreamHost, and Amazon Web Services, have used Google Authenticator instead of implementing their own apps from scratch.

You can even use Google Authenticators PAM module to secure your SSH sessions on Linux.

The extension stores your secret key locally and generates time-based codes youll need to log in, just as the official mobile apps do.

If you see an error message after launching it, click Continue to launch the application anyway.

After you do, you can right-click the system tray icon and select Copy to copy the current time-based authentication key to your clipboard.

Instead of entering the key into a mobile app during the setup process, enter it into the application on your computer.

Blizzards Battle.net Authenticator secures the Battle.net accounts used for World of Warcraft, Diablo III, and Starcraft II.

WinAuth is an open-source Windows authenticator for Battle.net and Guild Wars 2 (although you can also use the above apps with Guild Wars 2.) It also allows you to encrypt your security key file so that malicious programs cant easily access it without your permission.

Google provides several ways of logging in if you dont have a security code you can have a security code sent by SMS to the cell phone number you provided on the two-factor authentication setup page.

If you dont have access to your mobile phone, you can enter one of the recovery codes you can print out from the two-factor authentication setup page.

Ensure you print out these keys and keep them somewhere safe like your wallet in case you ever lose access to your security keys and need to log in.

You may also find unofficial authenticator apps for other platforms, such as Authenticator for Windows Phone.

Hes written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years.

Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miamis NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC.

Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times---and thats just here at How-To Geek.

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Winauth App For Windows 10