В Chrome добавлена экспериментальная поддержка электронного ключа (FIDO U2F).
Настройки приложения Authenticator теперь доступны для резервного копирования и восстановления.
Системные требования
Android 4.4 и выше
iOS 7.0 и выше. Совместимо с iPhone, iPad и iPod touch.
Полезные ссылки
Подробное описание
Google Authenticator создает коды двухэтапной аутентификации для аккаунтов различных онлайн-сервисов и приложений.
Двухэтапная аутентификация предоставляет дополнительный уровень защиты учетной записи от взлома. При ее использовании для входа в аккаунт необходимо вводить не только пароль, но и код, сгенерированный приложением.
Получать коды подтверждения с помощью Google Authenticator можно даже без подключения к сети и сотовой связи.
The 5 Best Authenticator Apps to Generate 2FA Codes on Mac
These Mac two-factor authentication apps bring 2FA right to your desktop and help you secure your online accounts.
Want to secure your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA)? Then you’ll need an authenticator app to scan the relevant QR codes during the setup process. Such an app can also generate the TOTPs (Time-Based One-Time Passwords) that you need, in addition to your login passwords, to unlock your 2FA-enabled accounts.
You can either go for web-based authenticator apps or choose from one of the free 2FA Mac apps we cover below.
1. Authy
Authy was the one of the first 2FA services on the scene and has thus become a favorite of many. It offers apps for Mac, Windows, Chrome, and mobile devices.
After you install the Mac app and log into your Authy account, Authy greets you with a blank list and a plus button. Click on that button to start adding your 2FA accounts. The app doesn’t support scanning QR codes, so you’ll have to paste in the secret key or code shared by the service for which you want to enable 2FA.
Keep in mind that many services hide this secret key by default and display the relevant QR code only. Usually, there’s an accompanying button or link to reveal the secret key in case you can’t scan the QR code.
Authy lets you color-code each account. You can also choose from 6-digit, 7-digit, and 8-digit codes.
Download: Authy (Free)
2. Step Two
Step Two is as simple as an app gets, which is what we love about it. There are no accounts to sign up for before you can start using it.
You can add your online accounts to Step Two with either of the following options:
Scan the QR code from the account you want to enable 2FA for.
Add the account’s secret key and a couple of other account details manually.
You won’t find much in the way of app settings, though to be fair, you don’t need much. Step Two only lets you sort your accounts manually and alphabetically, in addition to backing them up to iCloud.
The lack of an import feature can prove to be a major drawback if you have lots of existing data that you need to migrate.
Download: Step Two (Free)
3. Authenticator
We couldn’t help but sneak this one in, even though technically it’s a browser-based app rather than a Mac app. It’s an open-source Chrome extension that works offline.
Like most authenticator apps, Authenticator lets you add 2FA accounts either by scanning a QR code or by entering a secret key manually. The first method is the default one.
After you install the extension, click on its toolbar button and then the Scan QR code button within the popup that appears. Of course, you’ll need to have the web page with the proper QR code ready to go in the background.
Want to use a secret key instead of a QR code? First, click on the Edit button (the pencil icon) next to the Scan QR code button. Then, click on the huge plus button to reveal the Manual Entry option you’re looking for.
Authenticator also has Firefox and Microsoft Edge versions. It’s a pity there isn’t a similar Safari extension.
Download: Authenticator (Free)
4. Secrets
Many password managers now double up as authenticator apps. Secrets is one of them, and it makes setting up 2FA codes easy.
To add a 2FA account to Secrets, first add a password entry for the account via the File > New Item option or the File > New > Login option. In the One-Time Password field for the entry, click on the QR code scanner icon at the far end. This captures the QR code available in the active tab in Safari or any other browser that’s open.
Hit the Done button to save the password entry. A fresh OTP then shows up in the One-Time Password field from time to time.
(Ensure that you don’t have multiple browsers open with active tabs displaying QR codes for different accounts. Secrets seems to capture the code from the tab that was opened first, which could create some confusion.)
If you want to enable the 2FA setup for a password you’ve already created in Secrets, click on the Edit button for the entry and then add the QR code. Remember to hit the Done button at the end to save the changes.
Remember, if you have a Setapp subscription, you don’t have to pay separately for the premium version of the app.
1Password, one of the best password managers for Mac users, also comes with support for time-based OTPs.
Download: Secrets (Free, premium version available)
5. KeePassXC
If you prefer an open-source solution, try KeePassXC. It’s another password management app that generates 2FA codes.
To add a 2FA account to KeePassXC, after you open the app:
Click on the Create new database option to set up a password database with a secure master password. (You don’t have to do this if you already use KeePassXC as your password manager.)
Create a password entry for the 2FA account by clicking on Entries > New entry and filling in the requisite login credentials.
Click on the OK button to save the entry, then save the changes to the database.
Click on TOTP > Set up TOTP from the context menu for the account.
Scan the QR code generated by the online account in question to grant permission for generating OTPs.
Once the 2FA account is in place, you can get time-based OTPs via the TOTP > Copy TOTP and TOTP > Show TOTP sub-menu options in the context menu.
Download: KeePassXC (Free)
Is 2FA Completely Secure?
While web apps are great, dedicated desktop apps are even better. Your choices are quite limited when it comes to Mac apps to generate 2FA codes, but they work.
Check out Two Factor Auth for a handy list of what services and websites support 2FA. Keep in mind, though, that two-factor authentication using OTPs is not without risks.
Our analysis of the pros and cons of 2FA types and methods dives deeper into this if you’d like to try another solution.
Here are the pros and cons of two-factor authentication methods to see which is the best for you.
If you want to unfriend Mark Zuckerberg forever, we explain how to permanently delete your Facebook account. Yes, for good this time.
Akshata trained in manual testing, animation, and UX design before focusing on technology and writing. This brought together two of her favorite activities — making sense of systems and simplifying jargon. At MakeUseOf, Akshata writes about making the best of your Apple devices.
As online accounts become more susceptible to hacks and cyber attacks these days, the demand for enhancing your account security has become ever more important. And, two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a small step towards achieving this goal.
With 2FA, you need to enter a second passcode, in addition to your regular account password. The second passcode is generally a numeric code that changes periodically, and is generated from a different source (e.g., an app on your smartphone). By authenticating simultaneously through two different sources, the service confirms your identity, and allows you to access your account.
Google has its own version of two-factor authentication service, which is nowadays supported by various third party online services. The official Google Authenticator app is only available on iOS and Android platforms, with certain third party alternatives available for BlackBerry and Windows Phones. It implements the Time-Based One-Time Password Algorithm (TOTP) and HMAC-based One-time Password Algorithm (HOTP) to generate unique 6-Digit authentication codes for each of the linked accounts, and doesn’t require Internet access to work.
Even though Two-Factor-Authentication is a more secure option, it could sometimes feel a little inconvenient to open up a smartphone app every time you want to login to a specific online account or service, on your computer. Also, if you somehow lose access to that smartphone, the process to restore access could be complex one; sometimes even resulting in a temporary lockout.
But in this article, we’ll explore a few workarounds to use Google Authenticator directly on the computer. Such solutions will also help address both the issues we discussed above. You no longer need a smartphone to authenticate yourself while using your computer. And if you lose any of your 2FA configured devices, you still would have a backup device to generate 2FA codes on.
Desktop clients for Google Authenticator
The following are some of the best Google Authenticator alternatives on Mac and PC:
Authy (Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome)
Authy is a RFC 4226 / RFC 6238 based 2FA client, compatible with Google Authenticator, available for macOS, iOS and Android. It also has a Google Chrome app & extension, so that it can run on just about any desktop OS.
Setting up the app is quite easy. Once you have installed the app, you will be asked to register a new account using your mobile number and email address. Authy will then send you an SMS to the registered mobile, containing a one-time-password (OTP). Once logged in using the OTP, you can start using Authy just like the original Google Authenticator app.
One of the best things we’ve found about Authy is that it allows you to backup the list of 2FA enabled accounts, which you have linked using the app. During the initial setup, the app prompts you to enter the backup password, which is used to encrypt the backup locally on your device, before being uploaded to their servers.
Once the backup has been completed, you can restore it on any other device, by signing into the Authy app with your registered phone number, and by providing the backup password. The backup would then be decrypted locally on your new device, providing access to 2FA codes for all your previously linked accounts.
With Backup & Sync enabled, you can simply link a particular 2FA-enabled service by scanning its QR code using the smartphone app, and access its authentication code on all your associated devices. And once a particular account has been linked, Authy can generate 2FA codes for it offline, just like the original Google Authenticator app.
You can also set a master password to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the Authy app. Unlike the backup password, you may set different master passwords for different Authy (Chrome, macOS, iOS or Android) apps that you use across different devices. Once master password is turned on for a particular Authy client (e.g., Chrome app, macOS app, etc.), you’d need to provide the master password every time you launch that client.
Although they have a dedicated Mac client for managing your two-factor keys (Windows version also coming soon), the Authy Chrome app looks and feels like an actual standalone app, and includes all of the product’s features. On the other hand, the Authy iOS app is TouchID enabled, which can be used to prevent unauthorized access to your two-factor keys. Likewise, the Android app also includes PIN or Fingerprint ID protection.
All the Authy apps are available to download for free from their official website.
Authenticator (Chrome)
Authenticator is a lightweight yet powerful Chrome extension that works with Google Authenticator supported services, and gives you the option to import or export your linked services on which Two-Factor-Authentication has been enabled. It can also sync data from your Google account if you have logged in.
Alternatively, you can add new online accounts to Authenticator, when you enable them for 2FA. This could be a manual entry, where you have to provide the Account Name and Secret Key, or you can automatically import the same details by selecting the image of the QR code provided by the particular service.
The extension lets you access the 2FA codes for your linked accounts by clicking on the extension icon next to Chrome’s address bar. There’s also the option to add a security passphrase to prevent unauthorized access to your token codes.
Authenticator is a free Chrome extension available on the Chrome Web Store.
GAuth Authenticator (Chrome)
GAuth is a simple Chrome extension that generates TOTP tokens by implementing HMAC-based OTP, and has been tested to work with the Google Authenticator service. Setting up GAuth is quite easy. But since it doesn’t have the ability to scan QR codes, you have to manually provide the Account Name and Secret Key for each account. Most services provide you the secret key in plaintext, along with the QR code. However, if the secret key is not available separately, you would have to decode the same from the provided QR code, using a QR code scanner on your smartphone. Once you have decoded the secret key, follow the steps below to add a 2FA account to GAuth Authenticator.
Install GAuth Authenticator extension from Chrome Web Store.
Launch the GAuth Authenticator on Chrome and click on the Edit icon on the top right corner.
Click on the Add button below, and then enter the account or service name you want to link, and provide the secret key that you just decoded, in the second field.
Click on the Add button again.
You should now be able to see TOTP codes getting generated for that particular account.
WinAuth (Windows)
WinAuth (short for Windows Authenticator) is a portable, open source, RFC 6238 based HOTP code generator for Windows, compatible with Google Authenticator based 2FA services. It supports addition and display of multiple authenticators, each of which can be locked with a different password. Additionally, the data stays encrypted with an overall password, and locked to your Windows computer or account, or a YubiKey.
You can also import or export linked accounts in URI Key Format, and also import keys from Authenticator Plus for Android.
WinAuth can be downloaded for free from the official website.
Where to use Two-Factor-Authentication
Two-Factor-Authentication is a vital step in elevating the security of your online accounts. It is supported by various online services, including banking sectors, trading exchanges, cloud storage solutions and email services. Several gaming websites also implement Google’s Two-Factor Authentication as well.
Know of any other third party desktop clients for Google Authenticator? Let us know in the comments below.
Компьютеры и периферия 
