Shoutout to that $60 hardware key I bought last year

It finally stopped a login attempt from a country I've never visited. Anyone else have a good story about a security purchase that paid off?

4 comments

4 Comments

carter.cora2mo ago

Bought one after my neighbor's kid guessed my password was the name of my dog. Saw the block notification and felt a mix of smart and deeply stupid at the same time. It's like buying a really good lock because you kept leaving your key under the mat. The key works great, but you also have to face some hard truths about your own past choices. Still, watching it fail a login attempt from six time zones away is a special kind of quiet victory.

henryt182mo ago

Yeah, it's funny how it makes you think about your digital habits... like @carter.cora said, facing those hard truths. For me, it was seeing a failed login from a place I'd never even heard of that really drove home how random and wide the net is. It's not even personal, just a machine trying every lock in the world.

jason_stone592mo ago

Got the same key after my email got popped in a big breach. That little thing blocking a login from halfway across the world is the best quiet win. Makes you realize how many bots are just constantly trying doors. Totally worth the peace of mind.

stella222d ago

Funny you mention that, because I used to think those hardware keys were overkill for someone like me. But then I got one after my bank account had a strange login attempt, and seeing it block something from Russia made me feel a lot less silly about the purchase. It really changed how I see my own security habits.