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Put two hardware keys on your most important account
Why it matters: A hardware key is the strongest phishing-resistant sign-in available to a household and doesn't depend on your phone. It is worth it for the one or two accounts that control the rest, and for anyone who is a likely target.
Do it
- Buy two keys that work with your phone and computer connectors.
- Register both on your main email account and on your password manager.
- Keep one on your keyring and one somewhere safe at home.
- If the account offers an advanced-protection mode for high-risk users, consider turning it on.
- Test signing in with each key on its own.
Check it worked: Your main email account and your password manager each accept two registered hardware security keys: one you carry and one stored at home.
Simply put
A hardware key is like a physical house key for your most important account: it has to be in your hand, at the real site. Two keys, like two house keys, means losing one isn't a crisis.
In detail
Two keys, never one: a single lost key plus weak recovery locks you out of your own life. People in public roles, those managing family money, and anyone who has been targeted before benefit most.
Points toward the Long View: sign-in for your most important accounts that doesn't depend on your phone.