all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited es una solución de privacidad todo en uno"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Sin anuncios. Privacidad por defecto."],"People before profits":["Primero las personas, luego los beneficios"],"Security through transparency":["Seguridad con transparencia"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Las mejores ofertas de Proton Mail en el ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["El único servicio de correo electrónico del mundo respaldado por la comunidad"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } hora","${ hours } horas"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Tiempo restante: ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } y ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuto","${ minutes } minutos"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } segundo","${ seconds } segundos"],"Limited time offer":["Oferta por tiempo limitado"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Cree múltiples direcciones"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Seudónimos de hide-my-email"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Cancele suscripciones a boletines rápidamente"],"Use your own domain name":["Use su propio dominio"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Tal como aparece en"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Obtenga un correo electrónico cifrado que protege su privacidad"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Oferta de Black Friday de Proton Mail: hasta un 40% de descuento"]},"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.":["Aproveche las rebajas de Black Friday y obtenga suscripciones de Proton Mail con hasta un 40 % de descuento. Encontrará las mejores ofertas en planes de correo electrónico seguro cifrado de extremo a extremo."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Rebajas de Black Friday en Proton Mail | Hasta un 40 % de descuento en correo electrónico seguro"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["*Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los primeros 2 años"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["Garantía de devolución de dinero de 30 días"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los primeros 2 años"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Ahorre ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["-${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Amo mi Proton Mail"],"My favorite email service":["Mi servicio de correo electrónico favorito"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Gracias Proton por mantenernos a salvo en el complicado universo de Internet."],"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":["Obtiene aquello por lo que paga. En el caso de la gran tecnología, cuando uno no paga nada, se acostumbra. Dejé de usar Gmail y cambié a @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Días"],"Hours":["Horas"],"Min":["min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["Y mucho más"],"Make your inbox yours":["Personalice su bandeja de entrada"],"Safe from trackers":["A salvo de rastreadores"],"Stay organized":["Mantenga el orden"],"Black Friday email deals":["Ofertas en correo electrónico del Black Friday"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["No confíe solo en nuestra palabra"],"Our story":["Nuestra historia"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Transfiera sus datos de Google con un solo clic"]},"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.":["Acceda a contenidos bloqueados y navegue de forma privada. Incluye más de ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES } países, se conecta con hasta 10 dispositivos, accede a servicios de transmisión de todo el mundo, bloquea malware y publicidad y mucho más."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Comparta su calendario con familiares, amigos y compañeros fácilmente y consulte calendarios externos."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 1 dominio de correo electrónico personalizado, 10 direcciones de correo electrónico, 10 seudónimos de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 3 dominios de correo electrónico personalizado, 15 direcciones de correo electrónico, seudónimos ilimitados de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Administre hasta 25 calendarios, apps móviles, protegido con cifrado de extremo a extremo, importación de calendario con 1 clic desde Google y más."]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Más información"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Tenga en cuenta que, en este momento, estamos experimentando problemas con el servicio ${ issues[0] }."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["En este momento, tenemos problemas con uno o más servicios."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["En este momento, tenemos problemas con el servicio Proton VPN."],"Learn more":["Más información"]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Sugerencias"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subacategoria","Subcategorías"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } minuto","${ readingTime } minutos"],"Category":["Categoría","Categorías"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["¿No encontró lo que buscaba?"],"General contact":["Contacto general"],"Get help":["Obtener ayuda"],"Legal contact":["Contacto legal"],"Media contact":["Contacto para medios"],"Partnerships contact":["Contacto para colaboradores"],"Reading":["Lectura"]},"Support troubleshooting":{"App version":["Versión de la app"],"Browser":["Navegador"],"Check if this helps":["Compruebe si le sirve"],"Choose a product":["Elija un producto"],"Did this solve your issue?":["¿Le ha resultado útil para resolver el problema?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away":["Solo le separan unos clics de una asistencia más rápida"],"How can we help?":["¿Cómo podemos ayudarle?"],"No, contact support":["No, contactar a soporte"],"Please fill out one field after another":["Complete un campo después de otro"],"Please make your selections":["Realice sus selecciones"],"Proton account":["Cuenta de Proton"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Gracias por sus comentarios"],"What can we help with?":["¿En qué podemos ayudarle?"],"Yes":["Sí"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Consulta"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Buscar"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Busco"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Para una resolución más rápida, reporte el problema desde la app Bridge: Ayuda > Reportar un problema."],"Information":["Información"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Seguridad de la cuenta"],"Contacts":["Contactos"],"Custom email domain":["Dominio de correo electrónico personalizado"],"Email delivery and Spam":["Entrega de correo electrónico y spam"],"Encryption":["Cifrado"],"Login and password":["Inicio de sesión y contraseña"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Combinar alias y cuentas"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migrar a Proton"],"Notifications":["Notificaciones"],"Other":["Otros"],"Plans and billing":["Planes y facturación"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Regístrese"],"Storage":["Almacenamiento"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Usuarios, direcciones e identidades"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Seleccione un tema"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Con sede en Suiza"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Premios"],"Customers":["Clientes"],"Featured":["Destacados"],"Go to testimonial source":["Ir a la fuente testimonial"],"Reviews":["Reseñas"],"Videos":["Videos"]},"Text":{"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Si necesita ayuda, consulte nuestra ${ supportLink }."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["Es posible que la página que busca haya sido eliminada o que sea un\nenlace antiguo."]},"Title":{"On this page":["En esta página"],"Related articles":["Artículos relacionados"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["Compartir ${ thisPage }"],"Thank you!":["¡Gracias!"],"this page":["esta página"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Más información"]},"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.":["Acceda a contenidos bloqueados y navegue de forma privada. Incluye más de ${ TOTAL_VPN_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_VPN_COUNTRIES } países, la mayor velocidad VPN, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } conexiones VPN, servicios de transmisión en todo el mundo, bloqueador de malware y publicidad y mucho más."]},"wallet_signup_2024:Action":{"Get Proton Wallet":["Obtener 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":["Guía sobre Bitcoin"],"Proton Wallet news":["Novedades sobre Proton Wallet"],"Proton Wallet support":["Soporte para Proton Wallet"]},"wallet_signup_2024:Pricing":{"Includes everything in Proton Unlimited and":["Incluye todas las funciones en Proton Unlimited y"],"Limited availability":["Disponibilidad limitada"],"The easiest way to securely own, send, and receive Bitcoin":["La forma más fácil de retener, enviar y recibir Bitcoin con seguridad"]},"wallet_signup_2024:ProductRange":{"Discover Proton Wallet":["Descubra Proton Wallet"],"Store and transact Bitcoin privately with an encrypted self-custody wallet.":["Almacene Bitcoin y negocie de forma privada con una cartera de autocustodia cifrada."]},"wallet_signup_2024:wallet bitcoin":{"Learn about Bitcoin, the Internet's value network.":["Infórmese sobre Bitcoin, la red de valor de internet."]},"wallet_signup_2024:wallet overview":{"Ensure you're always in control of your Bitcoin.":["Asegúrese de tener siempre el control de su Bitcoin."]},"wallet_signup_2024:wallet security":{"The encrypted, open-source wallet that puts you in control.":["La cartera cifrada de código abierto que le permite controlarlo todo."]}}},"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(nueva ventana), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency(nueva ventana), 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(nueva ventana) can intercept passwords before the intended recipient even receives them. Multiple exploits, including SMS phishing (known as smishing(nueva ventana)) and SMS pumping,(nueva ventana) 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(nueva ventana) 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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