Two-factor fatigue is real, but I still tell people to keep it on

Last week I was helping my aunt with her email after she got locked out of her bank app, and she said the whole two-factor thing is just too much. I get it, waiting for that code every single time is annoying. But I watched her get her account drained in 2018 because she reused a password, and that was way worse than 15 extra seconds. She kept her phone in her purse, never clicked sketchy links, but that didn't matter when her password showed up in a breach list. I think we push convenience too hard in these tips threads and forget that the annoying step is usually the one saving us. She still grumbles, but she turned it back on when I showed her the fraud alert from that old breach. Has anyone else had to talk a family member into keeping 2FA after a lockout scare, or am I the only one playing tech support on Thanksgiving?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_flores171d ago

The trick that worked with my mother was putting the backup codes in a place she could actually find. I wrote them on an index card and taped it inside her kitchen cabinet, not hidden in some password manager she never opens. Now when she gets locked out she can grab the card instead of calling me in a panic. Also, try turning off the 2FA prompts for her trusted home devices, that cuts the annoyance down to basically zero while keeping the protection for when she actually needs it.

robin_campbell3614h ago

thats all good but honestly the real fix is making sure shes not using the same password for everything. i found out my aunt had her email password on like 10 different sites so even with 2fa the backup codes dont matter if someone gets in through another door. spent an afternoon with her just changing the important ones and now she only calls me about the printer not working.