all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited ist eine All-in-One-Datenschutzlösung"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Keine Werbung. Privatsphäre als Standard."],"People before profits":["Menschen sind uns wichtiger als Gewinne"],"Security through transparency":["Sicherheit durch Transparenz"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Die besten Proton Mail-Angebote zum ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["Der weltweit einzige von der Community unterstützte E-Mail-Dienst"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } Stunde","${ hours } Stunden"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Nur noch ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } und ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } Minute","${ minutes } Minuten"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } Sekunde","${ seconds } Sekunden"],"Limited time offer":["Zeitlich befristetes Angebot"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Erstelle mehrere Adressen"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Hide-my-email-Aliase"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Newsletter schnell abbestellen"],"Use your own domain name":["Verwende deine eigene Domain"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Vorgestellt in"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Nutze einen verschlüsselte E-Mail-Dienst, der deine Privatsphäre schützt"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Proton Mail Black Friday-Angebot – Bis zu 40 % Rabatt"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Erhalte an diesem Black Friday bis zu 40 % Rabatt auf Proton Mail-Abonnements. Mache tolle Schnäppchen bei unseren sicheren, Ende-zu-Ende-verschlüsselten E-Mail-Abonnements."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Proton Mail-Black-Friday-Angebot | Bis zu 40 % Rabatt auf sichere E-Mails"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["* Zum Preis von ${ TOTAL_SUM } im ersten Jahr"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*Zum Preis von ${ TOTAL_SUM } in den ersten zwei Jahren"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["30-tägige Geld-zurück-Garantie"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["Zum Preis von ${ TOTAL_SUM } in den ersten zwei Jahren"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["Zum Preis von ${ TOTAL_SUM } im ersten Jahr"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Du sparst ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["− ${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Ich liebe mein ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Mein Lieblings-E-Mail-Dienst"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Danke Proton, dass du uns alle im komplizierten Internet-Universum beschützt."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Du bekommst, wofür du bezahlst. Wenn du nichts bezahlst, wirst du bei der Nutzung von Big Tech ausgenutzt. Ich habe Gmail aufgegeben und bin zu @ProtonMail gewechselt"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Tage"],"Hours":["Stunden"],"Min":["Min."]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["Und vieles mehr"],"Make your inbox yours":["Übernimm volle Kontrolle über deinen Posteingang"],"Safe from trackers":["Sicher vor Trackern"],"Stay organized":["Sorge für Ordnung"],"Black Friday email deals":["E-Mail-Angebote zum Black Friday"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["Verlasse dich nicht nur auf unser Wort"],"Our story":["Unsere Geschichte"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Übertrage deine Daten von Google mit einem Klick"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Greife auf blockierte Inhalte zu und surfe privat. Umfasst ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS } Server in über ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES } Ländern, die Verbindung \nvon bis zu 10 Geräten, weltweite Streaming-Dienste, Malware- und Werbeblocker und mehr."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Teile deinen Kalender ganz einfach mit Verwandten, Freunden oder Kollegen und rufe externe Kalender auf."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Beinhaltet Unterstützung für eine eigene E-Mail-Domain, 10 E-Mail-Adressen, 10 „hide-my-email“-Aliasse, Kalenderfreigabe und mehr."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Beinhaltet Unterstützung für 3 benutzerdefinierte E-Mail-Domänen, 15 E-Mail-Adressen, unbegrenzte „hide-my-email“-Aliase, Kalenderfreigabe und mehr."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Verwalte bis zu 25 Kalender, Ende zu Ende verschlüsselte mobile Apps, 1-Klick-Kalenderimporte von Google und vieles mehr."]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Mehr erfahren"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Bitte beachte, dass wir im Moment Probleme mit dem Dienst ${ issues[0] } haben."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["Im Moment gibt es Probleme mit einem oder mehreren Diensten."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["Im Moment gibt es Probleme mit dem Proton VPN-Dienst"],"Learn more":["Mehr erfahren"]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Vorschläge"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Unterkategorie","Unterkategorien"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } Min.","${ readingTime } Min."],"Category":["Kategorie","Kategorien"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["Hast du nicht gefunden, wonach du gesucht hast?"],"General contact":["Allgemeiner Kontakt"],"Get help":["Hilfe erhalten"],"Legal contact":["Kontakt für Rechtliches"],"Media contact":["Kontakt für Medien"],"Partnerships contact":["Kontakt für Partnerschaften"],"Reading":["Lesen"]},"Support troubleshooting":{"App version":["App-Version"],"Browser":["Browser"],"Check if this helps":["Schau, ob das hilft."],"Choose a product":["Produkt auswählen"],"Did this solve your issue?":["Hat dies dein Problem gelöst?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away":["Schnellere Hilfe ist nur ein paar Klicks entfernt"],"How can we help?":["Wie können wir dir helfen?"],"No, contact support":["Nein, Support kontaktieren"],"Please fill out one field after another":["Bitte fülle ein Feld nach dem anderen aus"],"Please make your selections":["Bitte triff deine Auswahl"],"Proton account":["Proton-Konto"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Danke für dein Feedback"],"What can we help with?":["Wobei können wir dir helfen?"],"Yes":["Ja"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Anfrage suchen"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Suchen"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Ich suche"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Damit das Problem schneller gelöst werden kann, melde es bitte über die Bridge-App: Help > Report a problem (Hilfe > Problem melden)."],"Information":["Informationen"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Kontosicherheit"],"Contacts":["Kontakte"],"Custom email domain":["Benutzerdefinierte E-Mail-Domain"],"Email delivery and Spam":["E-Mail-Zustellung und Spam"],"Encryption":["Verschlüsselung"],"Login and password":["Anmeldung und Passwort"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Zusammenführung von Aliassen und Konten"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migration zu Proton"],"Notifications":["Benachrichtigungen"],"Other":["Sonstiges"],"Plans and billing":["Abonnements und Abrechnung"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Registrierung"],"Storage":["Speicher"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Benutzer, Adressen und Identitäten"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Thema auswählen"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["In der Schweiz ansässig"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Auszeichnungen"],"Customers":["Kunden"],"Featured":["Empfohlen"],"Go to testimonial source":["Zur Referenzquelle wechseln"],"Reviews":["Bewertungen"],"Videos":["Videos"]},"Text":{"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Hilfe erhältst du in unserem ${ supportLink }."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["Die von dir gesuchte Seite wurde möglicherweise entfernt, oder es könnte sich um einen alten Link handeln."]},"Title":{"On this page":["Auf dieser Seite"],"Related articles":["Verwandte Artikel"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["${ thisPage } teilen"],"Thank you!":["Vielen Dank!"],"this page":["diese Seite"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Weitere Informationen"]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Greife auf blockierte Inhalte zu und surfe privat. Enthält über ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS } Server in mehr als ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES } Ländern, höchste VPN-Geschwindigkeiten, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN-Verbindungen, weltweite Streaming-Dienste, Malware- und Werbeblocker und mehr."]},"wallet_signup_2024:Action":{"Get Proton Wallet":["Hol dir Proton Wallet"]},"wallet_signup_2024:Homepage hero product link title":{"Wallet":["Wallet"]},"wallet_signup_2024:Homepage product navigation bar":{"Wallet":["Wallet"]},"wallet_signup_2024:menu item":{"Bitcoin guide":["Bitcoin-Leitfaden"],"Proton Wallet news":["Proton Wallet-Neuigkeiten"],"Proton Wallet support":["Proton Wallet-Support"]},"wallet_signup_2024:Pricing":{"Includes everything in Proton Unlimited and":["Umfasst alles, was in Proton Unlimited enthalten ist und"],"Limited availability":["Begrenzte Verfügbarkeit"],"The easiest way to securely own, send, and receive Bitcoin":["Der einfachste Weg, Bitcoin sicher aufzubewahren, zu senden und zu empfangen"]},"wallet_signup_2024:ProductRange":{"Discover Proton Wallet":["Proton Wallet entdecken"],"Store and transact Bitcoin privately with an encrypted self-custody wallet.":["Bewahre Bitcoins auf und überweise sie auf private Weise mit einer verschlüsselten, selbstverwahrenden Wallet."]},"wallet_signup_2024:wallet bitcoin":{"Learn about Bitcoin, the Internet's value network.":["Erfahre mehr über Bitcoin, das Wertnetzwerk des Internets."]},"wallet_signup_2024:wallet overview":{"Ensure you're always in control of your Bitcoin.":["Stelle sicher, dass du immer die Kontrolle über deine Bitcoins behältst."]},"wallet_signup_2024:wallet security":{"The encrypted, open-source wallet that puts you in control.":["Die verschlüsselte Open-Source-Wallet, die dir die Kontrolle gibt."]}}},"base":"blog","cdn":{"enabledForAssets":true,"enabledForImages":false,"url":"https://pmecdn.protonweb.com/"},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
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One-time passwords are one of the most common forms of two-factor authentication (2FA). In this blog, we’ll help you understand what a one-time password is, the different types of one-time password you might receive, and how to stay safe when you’re logging into your accounts.
One-time passwords are one of the most popular methods for 2FA and multi-factor authentication (MFA). 2FA involves using two methods of user authentication, and using more than two methods of authentication is known as multi-factor authentication (MFA).
One-time passwords are just one type of many user authentication methods that you can use. The more ways you authenticate your identity, the harder it is for someone to imitate you. The three key methods of user authentication include:
Something you know: This could be a password, a PIN, or the answer to a security question.
Something you are: This could be any biometric data unique to you, like your fingerprint, face ID, or retina scan.
Something you have: This could be either a physical token or a digital token. Physical tokens could include an ID badge or a security key. Digital tokens could include a one-time password sent as an SMS or generated by an authentication app.
A one-time password is a method for logging into an account, similar to a password or touch ID. Often, it’s a randomly generated set of numbers or letters sent to your device to help you log into an account on a one-time basis. You can also receive a one-time password via an authenticator app, a phone call, or a security key.
As the name suggests, you can only use a one-time password once. Most one-time passwords will also expire after a certain amount of time, so they’re an effective method for confirming that you’re using a specific device at a specific time.
They’re compatible with any device and any platform. Users aren’t required to take an action like downloading an app or using a security key to use them. They’re also easy, requiring little to no tech knowledge to use. Think of them as a ring of protection around your account – the more rings you put in place, the harder it is for someone to gain access.
How are one-time passwords created?
You can receive a one-time password in many different ways. Some of the most common one-time password delivery methods include SMS, email, authenticator app, and email. Here are some examples, split into physical and digital.
Physical
Some devices can create one-time passwords to help you access your accounts. These include
USB drives and smartcards that can be inserted into your computer, phone, or tablet to verify your identity.
Smartphones and banking security devices that can generate their own one-time passwords.
Cards or Bluetooth-enabled devices that can also generate one-time passwords as contactless devices.
Digital
Software can also be used to generate one-time passwords:
An authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator, can generate 2FA codes to help you access the apps on your phone.
A business may send you a one-time password via SMS, push notification, phone call, or email to verify that you’re currently using your device.
What is a one-time password used for?
It’s likely you’ve received a one-time password before. Many websites and businesses use them because they can be more secure than traditional (known as ‘static’) passwords, which are more vulnerable to being leaked in data breaches. Since static passwords are user-generated, there’s also no guarantee that they’re strong. A strong password should use a mixture of special characters and numbers and ideally be randomly generated by a password generator so they’re not easily guessable.
Personal logins
Institutions working with sensitive data, such as banks, healthcare providers, and online retailers, often use one-time passwords to help you log in to each session online. They may use risk-based access, where you will only be prompted to enter a one-time password if you’re trying to perform a specific action: for example, if you’re trying to transfer money from your bank account into an account you’ve never interacted with before. In this instance, verifying your identity will protect both you and the bank.
Professional logins
You may also be required to receive one-time passwords to log into your business tools. Businesses work with sensitive data, which is essential to protect with robust user authentication. Many companies have begun enhancing their online security by enforcing 2FA or MFA. In its Cyber Essentials Starter Kit(neues Fenster), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency(neues Fenster), the US government agency charged with cybersecurity, recommends enforcing MFA as one of your first actions as a business leader. Requiring workers to authenticate their identities using one-time passwords is an excellent way to protect a business at every level of the workforce.
Can one-time passwords be exploited?
There is no doubt that using an additional method of authentication is safer than just using a static password. However, no method of authentication is 100% secure.
Passwords sent via SMS and email can be intercepted. By using social engineering, hackers can encourage someone who has received a one-time password to share it. One-time password bots(neues Fenster) can intercept passwords before the intended recipient even receives them. Multiple exploits, including SMS phishing (known as smishing(neues Fenster)) and SMS pumping,(neues Fenster) are available to determined hackers. Sim swapping also allows hackers to gain access to a phone without being anywhere near it.
It’s harder to intercept codes sent from authenticator apps, but it isn’t impossible. In 2020, experts discovered malware installed on Android phones that was able to steal 2FA codes(neues Fenster) generated by Google Authenticator.
Staying safe with one-time passwords
Turning on 2FA or MFA is the best way to protect yourself online. A one-time password is an excellent defense when configured properly. The best way to configure your 2FA? With a password manager. A password manager helps you create as many barriers between bad actors and your accounts as possible without requiring you to be a cybersecurity expert
With Proton Pass, you can generate 2FA codes for your accounts using our integrated authenticator. Everything you store in Proton Pass, including codes you generate, is protected by battle-tested end-to-end encryption. That means it’s only available to you. You can also protect your Proton Pass account using a biometric login, increasing your account’s security.
If you need to send a one-time password to a family member or co-worker, the most secure method is via a secure link. You can limit these links so they can only be accessed a certain number of times and to expire after a chosen amount of time. (It should be noted that you should only share a one-time password if you can verify the identity of the person requesting it – if the request comes via a phone call or an SMS from an unknown sender, take steps to verify their identity.)
You can keep your logins, personal details, and 2FA codes safe in Proton Pass whether you’re using it as an individual or a business. Find out which plan to get started with.
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