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Can you clarify my authenticator confusion?
Q I read your article on authenticator apps (Issue 717, page 62) with great interest and I can see the benefits of using one, but I’m so confused. It’s not clear to me how an authenticator app is linked to one’s online account and how the account knows what the ‘correct’ time-based one-time passcode (TOTP) is that the app will generate for me to enter into the code box – especially if they work when I’m not online.
Also, if the TOTPs are ‘one-time’, what’s the point of backing them up? Finally, if my phone is stolen, lost or SIM-swapped, how can I continue to use an authenticator app? Wouldn’t I need one on my computer too?