What’s the point of 2FA, if there’s a recovery code you can use when you lose ability to use your 2FA device?

Question

In the end, isn’t that recovery code just the same as a password?

In: 174

Answer 1

You have three doors to bypass before you can get into your house. Each door has its own key. Now, if a thief steals your bag and you accidentally put all 3 keys inside it, well, you are done. But what if the thief steals your bag and only finds 1 key, well, you are still safe. The thief with 1 key cannot get inside your house behind 3 doors.

But remember to change your keys, no matter 1 or 3 keys are stolen.