In TOTP, the seed is a secret key that is shared between the authentication server and the token during first-time use. This is a component that changes every time a new OTP is requested or at set periods of time. It is created when a new account is established on the authentication server.Ī moving factor. This is a static secret key that is shared between the token and the server. Two inputs are used to generate OTP codes:Ī seed. Fig: Screenshots of Google Authenticator with TOTP codes (Source: Vox) How TOTP worksīefore going into specifics, it’s important to understand how OTP generation algorithms work in general. TOTP was published as RFC 6238 by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in 2011. This makes TOTP authentication a strong second factor in a multi-factor authentication (MFA) or two factor authentication (2FA) flow. Unlike passwords – which are static and can be easily stolen – a TOTP code changes at set time intervals (usually 30 to 90 seconds) and is very difficult for attackers to compromise. TOTP can be implemented in both hardware and software tokens:Ī TOTP hardware token is generally a physical fob or security key that displays the current code on a screen built into the device.Ī TOTP software token is generally an authenticator application on a mobile device (like Authy or Google Authenticator) that displays the current code on the phone screen. This code is meant to grant users one-time access to an application. A TOTP code is generated with an algorithm that uses a shared secret and the current time as inputs. TOTP stands for time-based one-time password (or passcode).
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