What is a phishing-resistant MFA method on mobile and why is it superior to TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) for account security?
- A.Message-delivered codes are the most phishing-resistant option because the code travels over the carrier network rather than the internet (the delivery path is separate from the browser session), and every interception requires access to the operator: the weakness in the time-based generator is that its seed sits on the handset. Carrier delivery avoids that exposure.
- B.The time-based generator is phishing-resistant because each code expires within half a minute (the window is too short for an operator to relay it), and every attempt outside that window fails: the weakness in the standard the question names is complexity. Short-lived codes solve the problem adequately.
- C.Phishing-resistant authentication requires a separate hardware token because a handset cannot hold an origin-bound credential (the platform offers no secure element to a browser), and every mobile implementation falls back to a typed code: the weakness is the device rather than the protocol. Users have to carry a key.