2FA
More great news: our recently updated Kaspersky Password Manager now has a built-in function for generating one-time codes for two-factor authentication (2FA). This means no more installing a separate authenticator app — everything you need is right there in our password manager. Now for a few details…
What’s an authenticator?
On this blog, we focus quite a bit on 2FA — app-generated one-time codes in particular. Over the past couple of years, we’ve posted a whole series of materials on this topic, the most important of which make for highly recommended reading:
- What is multi-factor authentication?
- Types of two-factor authentication: pros and cons
- Is Google Authenticator irreplaceable?
- Authentication with one-time codes: pros and cons
- The best authenticator apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS
In a nutshell, you need 2FA to better protect your accounts, so we recommend enabling it on all services that support it. In our view, one-off codes generated in special authenticator apps strike the best balance between security and usability. Such a code must be entered after the regular password, and because it’s valid for a limited time (usually no more than 30 seconds), it’s extremely difficult to intercept.
The 2FA method is both quick and smooth, provides a high level of protection, and requires no additional input or time investment on the part of the user. Before, 2FA meant having an authenticator app on your device — either Google Authenticator or any other that suits you. Now, however, there’s no need to install an additional app: you can generate codes right inside Kaspersky Password Manager, where your passwords are already stored securely. Let’s take a look at the advantages of our built-in authenticator.
1. Familiar interface with cross-platform convenience
Kaspersky Password Manager generates one-time codes in a familiar user-friendly way: in the special Authenticator section is a list of tokens with names and short descriptions, next to which one-time codes appear and a time counter ticks away until the next update of these codes. That’s similar to how it works in other apps, so you’ll have no trouble switching to Kaspersky Password Manager if you already use another authenticator. That’s an obvious advantage, but far from the only one.
A massive plus compared to other authenticators is that Kaspersky Password Manager gives you a universal, cross-platform, all-in-one solution — the app stores your passwords and generates one-time codes on whichever platform you prefer: computer or phone. Kaspersky Password Manager is available not only for Android and iOS, but also for macOS and Windows (support for 2FA code generation in Windows will be added in an upcoming update). The Windows version is especially important: if you’ve read our post about the best authenticator apps, you’ll have noticed that Windows is rather poorly served.
2. Synchronization and security
Next advantage: all Kaspersky Password Manager entries (passwords, notes, authenticator tokens, etc.) are automatically synchronized between all your devices. This allows you to generate an authentication code on any device you’re currently using.
Synchronization uses the cloud, of course, but with maximum security and convenience. For one thing, you don’t have to create an extra account — a My Kaspersky account is all that’s needed, which you already have if you use any of our products. And for another, all authentication tokens are securely protected by the main password, without which no intruder can use your passwords or authenticator — even if they do somehow get inside your My Kaspersky account.
3. Don’t have your smartphone to hand? No problem!
Users of other authenticator apps face the eternal nightmare of leaving behind or, worse, losing their smartphone: recovering authentication tokens is so difficult that we even wrote a special step-by-step guide for that. Now, because Kaspersky Password Manager securely stores your tokens (and with them all passwords) in encrypted form in the cloud, you can use the authenticator at any time on the device you’re using, as well as restore all data on a new device; all you have to remember is your main password.
4. Easy migration
Lastly, one other advantage of the built-in authenticator in Kaspersky Password Manager is quick and easy migration of all data from Google Authenticator. All you need to do is export all tokens from Google Authenticator to one large QR code in the usual way, then scan it in Kaspersky Password Manager — everything will work right away.
As far as we know, no other authenticator app makes it so easy to migrate data from Google Authenticator; the process usually involves lots of sweat and tears as you painstakingly recreate all your tokens one by one. But with Kaspersky Password Manager, four taps on the screen are literally all it takes.
What else can Kaspersky Password Manager do?
Let’s wrap up with a few words about some other useful features in Kaspersky Password Manager besides unbeatable password protection and the new built-in authenticator. This handy app can also:
- Autofill data in online forms — and not only usernames and passwords, but other information such as addresses and bank card details.
- Warn you if your password is too weak, was used before, or has been compromised in a known leak.
- Generate the strongest passwords possible based on customizable random character combinations.
- Securely store important documents, bank card details, and any other highly valuable information (for example, cryptowallet seed phrases).
- Encrypt all stored data with the robust AES-256 algorithm. The encryption key is created from the main password and is not stored anywhere, so without the main password it’s simply impossible to decrypt the contents of Kaspersky Password Manager.
Incidentally, the recent update of Kaspersky Password Manager added not only a built-in authenticator, but also support for Opera and Opera GX browsers. So now you can autofill passwords and other data in all the most popular browsers out there: Chrome (and others based on Chromium), Safari, Firefox, Edge, and now Opera.
And remember, the full version of Kaspersky Password Manager comes included in the Kaspersky Plus and Kaspersky Premium subscriptions, along with the most reliable protection possible, unlimited VPN, and a host of other useful features.
