The best authenticator apps do this with some form of biometric verification - much like how your phone can unlock by scanning your face or fingerprint to check that it is actually you.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Koyaana Redstar, the head of luxury buying at Luxe Du Jour, an online luxury boutique for vintage designer handbags. It has been edited for ...

This project is not about logging in to Google, Facebook, or other TOTP/HOTP second factor systems, even if they recommend using the Google Authenticator apps. HMAC-Based One-time Password (HOTP) is ...