Yubico YubiKey 5 USB-A and NFC Two-Factor Authentication Security Key

If you have many online accounts that need multi-factor authentication, then this physical key works well to make life easier.It comes with a desktop and a mobile App.I bought it so that if I lose my mobile phone, I am not totally lost and can still authenticate to many essential accounts.The only limitation is that there are still quite a few online services that only allow for MFA via mobile SMS or App and do not work with physical keys.But that is not a shortcoming of the Yubico.

This device is easy to use. I really like having a hardware key for accounts that I need good security for, I've tried spoofing a 2FA hardware key before and haven't been able so I would argue that this is a great security solution. Price is good for what it is, it is recommended to get multiple but one can suffice.Being able to carry 2FA codes in a USB (using Yubico Authenticator) rather than opening a phone and going into an app speeds up logins I use 2FA for.

Easy to set up and use, especially for things like Google accounts that support U2F (would be great if everything supported U2F but alas, it's not the case)There's also Yubico Authenticator for storing codes for any service that doesn't support U2F.Recommend getting two, setting everything up with both and keeping the backup in a safe place.

Good key, buy them on eBay to save $ but be advised...

I won't explain what it does, I presume folks know it's for higher login/data access above and beyond passwords. Other than standard two factor logins with a key. Fido, fido2 and u2f are pretty well covered. Yubico, a company that drives the above standards extends those to additional protocols, a yubico authenticator app that works in conjunction with the key. Nice. This key, like others you'll find for sale away from the manufacturer may have older key firmware with a bug or improperly implemented feature. Keys are updated periodically. But they can't be updated in the field due to security issues. So the key I got was on a firmware from about a year ago and is missing a few profiles added to some security protocols I don't use. Next...note you should have 2 keys ... MoreI won't explain what it does, I presume folks know it's for higher login/data access above and beyond passwords. Other than standard two factor logins with a key. Fido, fido2 and u2f are pretty well covered. Yubico, a company that drives the above standards extends those to additional protocols, a yubico authenticator app that works in conjunction with the key. Nice. This key, like others you'll find for sale away from the manufacturer may have older key firmware with a bug or improperly implemented feature. Keys are updated periodically. But they can't be updated in the field due to security issues. So the key I got was on a firmware from about a year ago and is missing a few profiles added to some security protocols I don't use. Next...note you should have 2 keys for backup, but they don't have to be the same, not do you need two of these 5 series yubico. I got this and a cheapo but we'll functioning basic key for ten bucks. So if the yubico breaks, I can use the cheapo backup until I receive the replacement yubico key.

Nice toy, not really useful

I like the idea of increased security (2FA), but have found very little use/support for the device and HATE SMS texts. Bank doesn't support (which is major issue since it only supports alpha numeric passwords, no special characters), PayPal doesn't support, shopping sites don't support. Haven't figured out how to 'add' gov sites (SSA, Medicare, IRS, FCC, FTC, etc.) to login.gov which I did set up. Not sure how to configure Google AND continue allowing Thunderbird access to Gmail. VERY steep learning curve, but working on it. Seems the 'sites' on yubico work and are easy to set up, but everything else is painful to configure (manually enter password to 'slot' on device).

Save a bit by not getting a retail package.

I already have older versions of the Yubikeys, but I needed a NFC version. They work great for securing computers, programs, or online access. Just make sure you have an alternative access method in case you lose it. The price was better then buying one key directly from Yubico.

YubiKey 5 (NFC)

Works great, recommend reading Yubikeys website thoroughly to understand the use cases for the product. Also recommend having two separate keys registered to each account for redundancy in case one is lost. Note it can be used for FIDO2/Webauth AND/OR as a TOTP authenticator through the Yubikey Authenticator App, so it is compatible with a great many websites (website shows list of compatible partners).

YubiKey 5 (NFC)

Getting the Yubikey setup and ready to go was easy, especially on my Linux machine, which was a pleasant surprise since the majority of hardware manufacturers prioritize Windows first and Linux never. They provided an easy ready-to-go AppImage, and their apps are easily downloadable as APKs from Github if using a security-focused OS like LineageOS that doesn't have access to the Google Play store by default.Learning about U2F, FIDO2 and the other authentication methods is a bit difficult for someone who doesn't necessarily know all the algorithms in-depth, and some more information on how they work, their strengths and weaknesses would be useful. Perhaps Yubico should invest more into an educational series on each of these going in-depth.Furthermore, please keep ... MoreGetting the Yubikey setup and ready to go was easy, especially on my Linux machine, which was a pleasant surprise since the majority of hardware manufacturers prioritize Windows first and Linux never. They provided an easy ready-to-go AppImage, and their apps are easily downloadable as APKs from Github if using a security-focused OS like LineageOS that doesn't have access to the Google Play store by default.Learning about U2F, FIDO2 and the other authentication methods is a bit difficult for someone who doesn't necessarily know all the algorithms in-depth, and some more information on how they work, their strengths and weaknesses would be useful. Perhaps Yubico should invest more into an educational series on each of these going in-depth.Furthermore, please keep in mind the Yubikey 5 NFC can only hold 32 TOTP/HOTP codes, but these are independent of the other authentication methods. This is the only major gripe I have with this product. If you need more codes, consider storing only the most important ones in your Yubikey and using an app like Aegis (which is the best open source 2FA authenticator app I have found) to store the rest.