Unlocking The Power Of Your Yubico 2fa Key: Expert Tips And Tricks!

I have a pretty comprehensive playlist of videos on my channel completely dedicated to using hardware keys to protect your digital life. Since I’ve been using these keys in my personal life for about a decade, and I’ve started partnering with Yubico to make this educational series of videos, I still get a lot of questions that are very particular, usually delving into specific use cases.

My 2FA Playlist

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[LazyJones]

I have a USB-A Neo version from 2012 on my car keychain with a bunch of other keys. Carried in my jeans, dumped in the centre car console, exposed USB-A pins and all. Still working fine with daily use. Basically bomb proof. They don’t need to be coddled

[nhobbes]

I appreciate that your explanations are always thorough. The house key/locksmith example to explain the concept of security key management is great!

[ThatGuy.]

I have 2 Yubikey 5 NFC keys and am so happy with them. They are worth the money and security.

[tomg]

Thank you for answering these questions! I've been searching for answers to this stuff but all the videos i've seen are the basic tutorials and why you should use them. This was great.

[OinkPink]

Thanks for this video! The Yubikey I have on my key chain I use a Keyport Pivot 2.0 to protect it from being damaged. Works pretty well.

[wjadams]

I recently bought a set of 5 NFC yubikeys. This video series has been very helpful. Thanks Shannon!

[xileets]

Forcing re-auth should be a personal choice. As Shannon says, your life is yours to design for your personal security.
What I didn't hear Shannon say, if you're being forced to re-auth each time with a password, look for the "skip password when possible setting in security settings", and/or make sure that you're allowing that site to store cookie data on your device/browser. (I'm not making recommendations, just troubleshooting.)

Great vid as always, Shannon!

[frozentwiddlelump]

I've been carrying around one of my YubiKeys on my keychain since 2016 and have never had a problem with it. No cover or protection on it, it's banged up and the plastic has some scrapes on it but absolutely no issues with it not working. (I *am* currently replacing them with new ones, just in case since they are almost ten years old...)

[timherty]

I have them on my Keychain. I sit on them, throw them arround, they get wet but they never break.
I really enjoy that all recent Versions of SSH support SK Type keys. So more more fiddeling with OpenPGP for SSH.

[Jaabaa_Prime]

One thing I think people really have to do is set a PIN on the YubiKey. If it is lost or stolen it adds another hurdle to authenticating with your hardware token.

[freerange]

I accidentally put my 5C nano in the washing machine (it was in my pocket) and then it went through TWO dry cycles until my wife found it getting the next load from the dryer.
Works fine, no issues. Not recommended, but these things are tough.

[TomTerrific]

Id like to see you do a video about tracking while you are in your car and what if anything you can do to either stop this or reduce it.

[AngryIrishman]

Thank You Shannon! Another great video! I wish more websites offered Yubi key. I am sick of being hacked!

[JoePesos]

I have had a usb-c nfc on my keychain with a bunch of keys for years, no protection at all. It has always worked flawlessly durability is not a significant concern.

[usastl]

Thanks for the videos. They are very informative. If my wife and I each have a Yubikey, can we share a third one as a backup just in case one of the primary keys is lost? We share our bank accounts anyway. We have different login ID to every site.

[DerekWilsonProgrammer]

A good tip is if you have multiple keys, take some nail polish or mark them some way to differentiate between them. I put some dots in different colors, and name the keys after the colors. So if I have a red key and a green key, and I lost my green key, I can go into the website and delete that green key.

Also, to correct a misunderstanding out there - these 'touch to activate' they don't use your fingerprint, they don't store your fingerprint, it's just like pressing a button. Just in case some website randomly asks you for your key, and you're not setting up authentication, that you don't touch it and cancel the prompt.

[ion_q]

Ahhh, my trusty Yubikey! At my side each and every day!

[AirmanDan]

Great video, Shannon. I do enjoy this series. @6:03 that jeans pocket was designed for a pocket watch.

[jeffhale]

Thanks for sharing. Blessings on your day.

[pudelz]

Interesting about the cases for the yubikey, I always keep my main one (5C NFC) on my keychain with one of those little lanyard things. On the same keychain, I have a flash drive (also with a lanyard) with my house keys. These come with me daily, multiple times a day too since the dog demands her walks! 😂 I haven't had any issues though I do keep a spare in a safe just in case I do ever destroy/lose it. I did start to get chipped corners before the 5 series but it still worked and obviously eventually replaced it when the 5 series was released.