Safeguarding Accounts - Authenticators

Greetings Cookie Tech Community,

It’s no doubt that account theft is a real thing. And over the years many large platforms have been devoted to protecting the accounts of their users. While things do happen, there is always a way for it to be prevented.

There are different types of ways to protect your email/Roblox/Discord/Forums accounts including

  • Passwords
  • 2 Step Verification (code sent to your email)
  • OTP (2fA for mobile)
  • Authenticator Apps
  • Physical security keys

and many more ways.

Personally, for my Forums and Discord account(s) I use authenticators as these accounts store my personal information (phone numbers, emails, other accounts, private conversations with friends)
However for Roblox and Gmail I use 2 step verification as I cannot afford to loose the accounts.

The negative side about authenticators is that if you don’t have your phone, or backup codes you cannot access your account. So for example, if you stored your backup codes on your laptop, and it got stolen, or you werent able to access it. And if your phone was also lost. Basically your whole account was lost.

The chances of this actually happening to you is low but there still are chances and there have been cases where this has happened.

So it is for that reason that I personally am hesitant to use authenticator apps.


But enough about my side. I want to hear from you.

I want to know how you safeguard your account and how you feel about authenticator apps in general.


If you feel like it, please answer this short questionnaire below. Thanks for reading and please let me know what your thoughts are.

  • I use 2FA (Email)
  • I use 2FA (Mobile, OTP)
  • I use an authenticator app
  • I have a physical security key that I use.
  • I don’t use any 2 step verification methods.

0 voters

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Also if you’re buying something in-line always ask if they have a stripe or PayPal method.

I have no idea how but I believe a site got hacked and my card details were leaked luckily I managed to freeze and order a new charge, remember to be careful!

Personally - I prefer the built-in iPhone authentication method, as it’s much more convenient because of autofill, and it stays with my passwords.

Sim swapping is a risk factor to consider.

2 Likes