Google and Apple embraced two-factor authentication in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and other tech giants soon followed. Today, all sorts of platforms and applications use two-factor authentication, from online banks to e-commerce sites.
Authenticator applications add another layer of security, and are an easy and convenient way to confirm one’s identity. Duo Mobile is one of the most popular apps of this kind, but is it safe?
What Is Duo Mobile? How Does It Work?
Duo Mobile was developed by Cisco Systems, an American technology conglomerate that specializes, among other things, in cybersecurity.
Duo Mobile is available on both iOS and Android, and functions on the same basic principle as Google Authenticator and similar apps: in short, you receive a notification on your phone when you (or somebody else) tries to log into an account, then either approve or decline the login request. This helps prevent unauthorized logins and makes it virtually impossible for threat actors to access your accounts.
The app itself is very intuitive and easy to use, so it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to connect accounts and set everything up. More importantly, the interface is simple, and a single tap is enough to approve or deny a request.
Is Duo Mobile Secure and Safe to Use?
Ease of use is important, but pretty much worthless if an app is not secure. Fortunately, as a flagship Cisco Secure product, Duo Mobile ticks most boxes when it comes to security and privacy. For a start, not a single breach has been reported yet, which proves Cisco takes user data protection seriously. But many other companies do not, so Duo Mobile provides extra security, whether you intend to use it to verify your social media logins or prevent unauthorized bank account access.
The Duo Restore feature is something other similar apps lack. It backs up your device and connected accounts (either to iCloud or Google Drive), which makes it very easy to maintain access to them at all times, whether you need to recover an account on your current device, or connect it to a new one. This way, getting a new phone won’t lock you out of any third-party platform or compromise your security.
Duo Mobile cannot access your contacts, text messages, or photos, but the app does require some permissions, as per its privacy policy. For example, it will send push notifications, but this is necessary if you want to be alerted when someone else is trying to log into your accounts. With that said, you can always disable this function.
Similarly, you can also disable camera access, but camera access is necessary to scan QR codes—and you need to scan them in order to set up two-factor verification on some platforms.
Duo Mobile neither sells nor shares user data with third parties, but it does collect usage data. This, too, can be disabled in the settings. Other than that, the app collects some basic information about your device, such as the type and version of your operating system, but that’s about it.
It’s also important to point out that Duo Mobile’s privacy policy is concise and very easy to understand, which is certainly commendable.
How Does Duo Mobile Compare to Other Authenticator Apps?
Two-factor authentication was a game-changer when it became widely available, because it’s a convenient and simple way to boost personal cybersecurity. Authenticator apps have made the whole process a lot easier, and Duo Mobile is definitely one of the best authenticators out there. But if you dislike Duo Mobile for some reason, there are plenty of good alternatives that work on both Android and iOS.
