The answer is yes, and the TL;DR is not to use them, use 2FA, and not share personal details online (which is hopefully all obvious advice)

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/12060980

  • birdcat@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    no they are not, just another stupid article from proton. nothing stops you from saying that bwE0FpHb5iPzMZiismyeiTIWhoB*#V8SaD0F3R*SeH was your first pets name.

    proton however stops you from disabling otp after setting up multiple security keys, they stop you from putting a pin on your drive app and they stop you from using an +4 digit pin on your mail app.

    but yea, the potentially insecure thing they dont even offer is the biggest concernn here 🤦‍♀️

    • summerof69@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      no they are not, just another stupid article from proton. nothing stops you from saying that bwE0FpHb5iPzMZiismyeiTIWhoB*#V8SaD0F3R*SeH was your first pets name.

      And how many regular people do that? Or does security apply only to advanced users?

      • flatbield@beehaw.org
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        9 months ago

        Security is always porous. The article really had no suggestions. They say 2FA but account recovery is often a combination of access to you email account or questions. None of this stuff is particularly secure.

        So yes security is an advanced feature usually not provided and normal users do not even try at being secure no do most systems insist on it.

        Edit: Some sites are doing away with passwords and just sending and email with a link to login. Totally not secure but account recovery has long used the same method so it may not be actually reducing security much since there never was much security.

      • jlow (he/him)@beehaw.org
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        9 months ago

        I’m probably not a regular user but my first pet’s name, the city I was born in, my first school and my childhood nicknames are also very long strings of characters 👌

    • bionicjoey@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      nothing stops you from saying that bwE0FpHb5iPzMZiismyeiTIWhoB*#V8SaD0F3R*SeH was your first pets name.

      How will you remember that though? A lot of password managers don’t make it easy to store security question responses alongside account credentials, and if you’re using a security question, it might be because you lost access to those credentials anyway

      • Boozilla@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I put these answers in the “notes” section of Bitwarden. It’s a little inconvenient, but it works.

        • bionicjoey@lemmy.ca
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          9 months ago

          It depends on if the purpose of the questions is for 2FA or account recovery. If the latter, you haven’t really solved anything since if you lose one then you lose the other

          • smeg@feddit.ukOP
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            9 months ago

            My personal view is that the extra security that these so-called security questions bring is worth less than the risks they bring. I’d rather the (low) risk of Bitwarden being compromised and losing the account than the (high) risk of someone searching or discovering information about me I can’t change and losing the account.

    • smeg@feddit.ukOP
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      9 months ago

      Nothing stops us enthusiasts from doing that, this article is for a more casual user who might not realise how easy the real answers are for a hacker to discover

      • LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I really don’t think anyone on the planet could figure out the name of my first pet. Even everyone in my family who would have known the answer to that question, they have all died. My first pet’s name is a secret safe with me.

        • smeg@feddit.ukOP
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          9 months ago

          Well that’s good for you, but the point is that info is the kind of thing that someone might have casually posted online over the years

      • birdcat@lemmy.ml
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        9 months ago

        i mentionied the flaws i saw and are are being adresssed by the community since years without ever anything happening. so i just dont get the focus on a problem that does not even exist.

        what will the next article be about? to dont write your password on a post it and stick it onto the screen?

        • summerof69@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          Yes and that is a good advice. They don’t write these articles to teach you something new, you’re clearly not the target audience. Don’t blame them for educating people.

        • Rikudou_Sage@lemmings.world
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          9 months ago

          I mean, I’ve seen a password on a post-it in our office, so yeah, maybe a good idea? We also have a company mandated Bitwarden and you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve seen people type a password by hand instead of using Bitwarden when I help them set up VPN or something. It’s definitely upwards of 80%.