Google

Is it possible to reverse engineer Google Authenticator to figure out the passcode?

Episode 907

Robert from Burbank, CA

All authenticators are doing the same thing. It's a time-based, one-time use pass code. There's no data going back and forth between the authenticator app and Google, they are just both using the same algorithm to generate the code based on the time of day. Since no one knows that algorithm, it's not possible to figure out that code. They use a "one-way hashing" technique to do this. Just because the user has the 6-digit result on the authenticator does not mean anyone could go backwards to figure out what the key is.

Big Week of Tech Announcements Ahead

Episode 904

Samsung will announce the Galaxy Note II with a larger screen on the 29th. September 5 will be the next Nokia Windows Phone 8 handset. Motorola and Google will be announcing something the same day, while Amazon will announce the new Kindle Fire tablet on September 6th.

Then there's that Apple iPhone announcement on September 12th, and some think the iPad mini will be announced a few weeks later. Leo is starting to think that Apple is leaking news to manage the cycle, but nobody really knows. What we do know is that September will be a crazy month for the technology industry.