OK, so I know how to enable two step verification. Are there only the
two methods - one using the questions and answers and one this method?
If you use both methods, do you have to provide both the two-step and
answers to questions if you need to reset a password?
Carol P
----- Original Message -----
From: Kliph
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 3:45 AM
Subject: Re: enabling 2 step
Go to appleid.apple.com
sign in, go to security options, and find 2 step barification.
Frustrated with your Mac, I-device, or AppleTV? New user and want
quick efficient answers? Or maybe you know apple products and want to
contribute? Then come join a list where questions are always
answered, and we are always patient with you.
Subscribe here: [email protected]
Or just follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/PealTheApple
And ask your question there. All are welcome!
On Dec 9, 2014, at 10:40 PM, Kerri G <[email protected]> wrote:
I have an idiotic question: how does one enable 2 step?
On Dec 9, 2014, at 3:36 PM, Raul A. Gallegos
<[email protected]> wrote:
I don't agree withthis as the Darkside of apple's 2 step
authentication for your safety. If people cannot be responsible to
keep their security unlock key in a safe place then that is not
apple's fault. I have the service enabled and I have all my safe
recovery keys in an area that I can get to from either my iPhone or my
computer or my iPad. I would have to experience a complete shutdown
and lack of access from my Windows machine as well as my Apple devices
in order for me to not have access to that key.
I understand there can be some annoyance with too much
security, however anytime extra security measures are added the
companies that are offering the services are very clear about you
needing to keep any sort of recovery keys available to you at all times.
On Dec 9, 2014, at 2:10 PM, M. Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Everyone,
I strongly suggest that you read the following article, very
carefully.
The link to the original post may be found at the end of the
text.
Mark
The dark side of Apple's two-factor authentication
Earlier this week, a strange message popped up on my Mac that
I thought
nothing of. "You can't sign in because your account was
disabled for
security reasons." I dismissed it in my tired haze, thinking
it would solve
itself and went to sleep.
The next morning, I didn't have time to deal with the message
- which was
now popping up every half hour - for a few hours until it
became annoying. I
figured I'd done something dumb and broken iCloud, but that
it could wait.
I'd turned two-factor on my Apple ID in haste when I read Mat
Honan's
harrowing story about how his Mac, iPhone and other devices
were wiped when
someone broke into his iCloud account. That terrified me into
thinking about
real security for the first time.
When I finally had time to investigate the errors appearing
on my machine, I
discovered that not only had my iCloud account been locked,
but someone had
tried to break in. Two-factor had done its job and kept the
attacker out,
however, it had also inadvertently locked me out.
The Apple support page relating to lockouts assured me it
would be easy to
recover my account with a combination of any two of either my
password, a
trusted device or the two-factor recovery key.
When I headed to the account recovery service, dubbed
iForgot, I discovered
that there was no way back in without my recovery key. That's
when it hit
me; I had no idea where my recovery key was or if I'd ever
even put the
piece of paper in a safe place. I've moved since I set up
two-factor on
iCloud.
I began nervously scouring the entire house for the code,
before giving up
after a few frustrating hours and began searching my computer
for any trace
of it. I found countless "recovery keys" but they weren't for
the right
things; for my Mac's hard-drive encryption, Twitter, Facebook
and other
accounts, but not for my Apple ID.
How could I be foolish enough to misplace my Apple ID
recovery key?
I swore that I'd taken a screenshot, printed it and had taken
a photo of it
with my iPhone for extra safekeeping.
This is when it began to sink in that this single ID held the
keys to much
of my digital life; everything from iTunes purchases going
back seven years,
app purchases and even the ability to get my iPhone out of
the grips of Find
my iPhone's lock.
The sinking feeling began. After fruitlessly searching and a
lot of cussing,
I decided to call Apple. I figured that something must be
wrong, since the
support page claims you can use trusted devices to recover
your ID in cases
like this.
The first person I spoke to told me immediately after getting
on the phone
that in no uncertain terms I had forfeit my Apple ID by
losing the recovery
key. He refused to help me. I hung up and called back.
On the second call, I got a lovely woman who totally
understood my plight
and how terrible it was. She told me a similar thing had
happened to her,
and it had turned out OK. After 20 minutes of poking around
and lots of
awkward sighing, she put me on hold to talk to a senior manager.
When she got back on the line, the story was just as bleak.
"We take your
security very seriously at Apple" she told me "but at this
time we cannot
grant you access back into your Apple account. We recommend
you create a new
Apple ID."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing and fought back that
surely there was
some other way, but I was told point blank that Apple would
not help me. I
offered a scan of my government ID, my trusted devices and
other proof that
it was me. Nope, that won't do for Apple in this situation.
She apologized
profusely and said there was nothing more should do.
Furious about the situation, I took to Twitter in a fit of
rage, complaining
that Apple couldn't help me out of a dumb situation, in which
I could easily
prove who I was. It was frustrating enough that when setting
up my Apple ID,
the company assured me I could recover the account with a
trusted device.
I know it was stupid that I'd lost the recovery key but I'd
set it up so
long ago I couldn't remember where it would conceivably be.
There's only so
many things I can keep track of. Besides, I figured I'd be
able to use
trusted device to get out of a mess like this.
I'd looked almost everywhere twice by this point. Who
remembers stuff like
this?
Apple's two factor signup process tries to point out the
importance of the
key when you set it up.
You have to print the key, then re-enter it to show that
you've got it. I
don't think this step existed when it launched.
So, I pushed on, resuming the hunt. As 24 hours without my
Apple ID
approached, iMessage broke and my devices all started
incessantly
complaining that the account was locked, amplifying an
already frustrating
situation.
Figuring that maybe I'd just had bad luck with the phone, I
tried Apple's
online chat service. I got the exact same answer; "We take
your security
very seriously at Apple, but we cannot help in this
situation." I pointed
out that the security page said otherwise, so the chat person
put me on the
phone with an iTunes senior advisor.
After a few minutes of "uhhhh" on the other end of the phone,
I got my third
"we take your security very seriously at Apple, this account
will be
permanently disabled unless you can find the recovery key." I
argued my
point that I had both my trusted devices and my password as
required by the
support page, but was told this was irrelevant because
someone else had
tried to get into my account.
I talked to a friend who knew people at Apple who told me
that the security
folks said the iForgot page is final. There's nothing they
can do.
Basically, I was locked out of my entire digital life,
because someone had
tried to hack me. The irony of the fact that my increased
security had
ultimately locked me out dawned on me, mixed with tiredness
and frustration,
so after taking a moment to scream internally, I started
furiously searching
ancient time machine backups.
As I searched the depths of my time machine backups and was
on the phone for
the fifth (or even sixth) time to iCloud support, I found an
old picture I'd
taken on my iPhone of a screen. It was my recovery key. I
started crying
tears of joy at this point. The Apple rep on the phone
started clapping and
was very glad to get out of continuing to argue with me.
The only time I've ever been glad to have taken a picture of
my screen
If I hadn't managed to find this key or had never bothered to
save it in the
first place, I would have lost the Apple ID forever. If I
hadn't made a time
machine backup of my machine before it got corrupted earlier
this year, I'd
have been out of luck entirely.
Apple support told me that the security lock doesn't expire,
so there's no
way to get around requiring the key, even though its support
site says you
can use trusted devices. You're simply not given that option
when your
account is locked.
What's perplexing is it wasn't even technically my fault.
Someone tried to
guess their way into my account and it was locked as a
result; I didn't do
anything wrong, yet I was entirely locked out because I
couldn't find the
key.
Apple's support page had given me false hope, because I
expected to be able
to use a combination of my password and trusted devices to
recover from
being locked out if it ever happened.
This isn't the case when your account is locked; what Apple
doesn't tell you
is that when your account is locked (because of too many
attempts) your
password is not a valid recovery option and you'll need your
recovery key.
What if I was carrying the key in my wallet and I was robbed,
like this poor
user on Stack Overflow? Apple still wouldn't (or couldn't)
help you, because
it's "impossible" to recover an Apple ID without that key,
according to its
support staff.
Apple's changing security policy
One has to wonder if it was previously possible, before Mat's
social
engineering hack or the iCloud celebrity hackings took place,
to recover a
two-factor enabled account by using Apple Support. The "we
take your
security very seriously at Apple" line seems like it's been
rehearsed and
drilled into the support staff's heads so that the same
scandals don't
happen again.
I asked Apple PR about this situation, who told me that the
support article
is correct. If you lose your recovery key with two factor
enabled, you lose
your account. Apple can't help you.
I've learnt my lesson about treating recovery keys with
extreme caution from
this. I never knew that I'd have no hope of recovery if it
was lost; I'd
been lulled into a false sense of security, figuring that my
trusted devices
would get me back into locked account.
From now on, I'll know exactly where each recovery key is. I
urge you to do
the same.
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2014/12/08/lost-apple-id-learnt-hard-way-careful
-two-factor-authentication/
--
The following information is important for all members of the
viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by
default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of
this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate,
please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting
on the list itself. The archives for this list can be searched at
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "VIPhone" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from
it, send an email to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the
viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by
default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of
this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate,
please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting
on the list itself. The archives for this list can be searched at
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "VIPhone" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from
it, send an email to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the
viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by
default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of
this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate,
please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting
on the list itself. The archives for this list can be searched at
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "VIPhone" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
send an email to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the
viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by
default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of
this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate,
please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting
on the list itself. The archives for this list can be searched at
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "VIPhone" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
send an email to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
