this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2024
344 points (99.1% liked)

Technology

59419 readers
5179 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@fry.gs
L4s@fry.gs
enu@lemmy.world
344
Tech Company Leaks 2FA Codes/Password Reset Links for Major Platforms (techcrunch.com)
submitted 8 months ago by Squire1039@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world
77 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

A security breach exposed two-factor authentication (2FA) codes/password reset links for millions of users on platforms like Facebook, Google, and TikTok.

Key Points:

  • YX International, an SMS routing company, left an internal database exposed online without a password.
  • The database contained one-time 2FA codes and password reset links for various tech giants.
  • YX International secured the database and claims to have "sealed the vulnerability."
  • The company wouldn't confirm how long the database was exposed or if anyone else accessed it.
  • Representatives from Meta, Google, and TikTok haven't commented yet.

Concerns:

  • This leak highlights the vulnerabilities of SMS-based 2FA compared to app-based methods.
  • The lack of information regarding the leak's duration and potential access by others raises concerns.

Gemini Recommendations:

  • Consider switching to app-based 2FA for increased security.
  • Be cautious of suspicious communications and avoid clicking unknown links.
  • Stay informed about potential security breaches affecting your online accounts.
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] aphlamingphoenix@lemm.ee 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Mine uses SMS 2FA AND had a 16-character password limit. I need to switch banks already. Any suggestions for a decent bank or credit union that uses modern password cryptography and app-based TOTP?

[–] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 1 points 8 months ago

Well Capital One still uses SMS 2FA ... BUT if you're going to be using budget apps they allow OAuth which was the big selling point for me (i.e. not giving my bank account password to a third party)

[–] MeekerThanBeaker@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

SMS 2FA is dumb, but I thought 16 characters are okay right now. Does the bank have too many password mistakes will block you for a certain time period enabled?

[–] frezik@midwest.social 2 points 8 months ago

They're good as long as there aren't any limits on characters you can use.

Some people like to use passphrases. But honestly, the gold standard is a password manager with randomized strings.