Question 1

how does the "touch" mechanism work? its so tiny. theres no button. i dont even see room for a button

Accepted Answer

Yes I thought the same thing. There is no mechanical button. There is a tiny light with a small sensor that recognizes contact. Your not actually pushing so much as lightly touching. I’ve been using mine for about a year now and trust me it does really work.

Question 2

Is the 5 nano a good backup choice for the 5 nfc?  also would these two be enough to enable google advanced protection?

Accepted Answer

Yes to both!

Question 3

Most accounts that allow these typically also require a less secure backup option if you lose your key.  So can't hackers just bypass the Yubikey?

Accepted Answer

There's usually an option to use something besides the yubikey, however, I would hope you've picked out another password that's as strong as you can get it. Or, on the other side you could get another yubikey and register both of them. I actually have two keys and a nano. One key for the wife and the nano for my main pc, the third is around my neck on a stout cord.

Question 4

Description says "designed to stay in the port so you can stay connected and secure anywhere." So if my laptop is stolen then so is my security key?

Accepted Answer

Two answers -- the technical answer, and the practical one:

Technical: Your security key would be stolen.  At that point, you would use a backup method to connect to your accounts (from another computer) and you would disable your lost YubiKey as a valid MFA/2FA method.

Practical: I believe the spirit of the original question is more around "if my laptop is stolen, and my YubiKey is in it, can't the thief access my secured accounts?".  And, the answer to that is "technically, if the laptop thief also knows your account password, they would be able to use the YubiKey and get past the second factor of authentication when logging in".  In all likelihood though, the thief just wants your laptop hardware.  The YubiKey purpose is really to protect your accounts from being logged into by a nefarious hacker, online somewhere around the world who somehow has your compromised username/password combination.  The likelihood that the laptop thief and the online hacker are collaborating is pretty low unless you are an international spy, dignitary, billionaire, or other "high value target".  But if that describes you and you use a laptop, best to try one of the more removable YubiKey options.

ASIN	B07HBDX2CM
Additional Features	Crush Resistant, Dual USB Connector, Fits on keychain, Passkey (FIDO2) slots: 100, Smart card, OpenPGP, OATH – HOTP (Event), Yubico OTP, OATH – TOTP (Time), Water Resistant
Best Sellers Rank	#23 in USB Gadgets
Brand	Yubico
Color	Black
Compatible Devices	Windows, Mac OS or Linux
Compatible Phone Models	Google Chrome
Connectivity Technology	USB
Customer Reviews	4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,325)
Flash Memory Type	USB
Global Trade Identification Number	05060408461457
Hardware Connectivity Technology	USB Type A
Hardware Interface	USB
Item Dimensions D x W x H	0.51"D x 0.47"W x 0.12"H
Item Weight	0.2 Ounces
Manufacturer	Yubico
Mfr Part Number	Y-240_SML
Model Name	YubiKey 5 Nano
Model Number	Y-240_SML
Unit Count	1.0 Count
Warranty Description	1 year manufacturer
Write Speed	30 MB/s

YubiKey 5 Nano A - Multi-Factor authentication (MFA) Security Key and passkey, Connect via USB, FIDO Certified - Protect Your Online Accounts (Nano USB-A)

Details

Details

Description

Specifications

Common Questions