Two-factor authentication (2FA or Two Factor Authentication), is considered together with the use of biometrics as one of the most powerful methods of protecting user data on the internet. A new attack devised by two researchers from the University of Amsterdam shows that there are weaknesses in this method of protection as well.
The two researchers, Radhesh Krishnan Konoth and Victor van der Even, reported that they discovered it security gap in 2014, they warned Google and other online services, presented their findings to banks, but nothing changed.
As the investigators explained, because the vulnerability had not yet been publicly announced (to date), many were the ones who said it was not very risky. The two researchers do not agree.
As they explain, they do not use a software defect, but a two-factor authentication problem.
The concept is called “anywhere computing,” and refers to the ability to synchronize applications and content across all of them Appliances. So using anywhere computing 2FA can be bypassed if an attacker gains access to the victim's computer.
From there design flaws in the 2FA mechanism of various services allows attackers to use services such as iTunes or Google Play Store για να προωθήσουν κακόβουλες εφαρμογές στο τηλέφωνο ενός χρήστη χωρίς την ενεργοποίηση του συστήματος ελέγχου ταυτότητας 2FA και χωρίς να εμφανίζεται κάποιο εικονίδιο στην αρχική οθόνη της συσκευής που υποδηλώνει την εγκατάσταση νέου λογισμικού.
Of course, the attacker must pass the malware from Google Stores or Apple Stores, but we've seen this happen last time.
Researchers argue that services using 2FA should be very cautious with synchronizing applications between different devices.
For more information, you can see the video below. For those who want more details download the PDF How Anywhere Computing Just Killed Your Phone-Based Two-Factor Authentication.