You wouldn't let a stranger wander into your cave to watch you go about your daily life, would you? You know... eating honey, hibernating, scratching your back against a big oak tree, picking bugs out of your fur, eating more honey. That sort of thing.

Well, we're happy to announce that your cave (or rather, your TunnelBear account) can now be more secure than ever with updated support for Two-Factor Authentication!

What exactly is Two-Factor Authentication?

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is an account security feature that allows you to further secure your Bear by setting up an additional verification step when logging in. This helps ensure that you (and only you) are able to access your TunnelBear account.

    • Protect your account from unauthorized access
    • Secure your data from prying eyes
    • Keep your Bear safe from hackers

Essentially, this is meant to further keep your account only in your paws, in case your password ever gets compromised or breached.

Two-Factor Authentication for TunnelBear

Two-Factor Authentication is available for all platforms (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android) and the TunnelBear website. When you turn on 2FA, it will be enabled for all TunnelBear apps across your entire account.

TunnelBear currently supports app authentication and email authentication as options when you choose to enable Two-Factor Authentication.

App Authentication

Authenticator apps are applications which provide you with a unique code each time you log in to TunnelBear. Some common authenticator apps available are Google Authenticator, Authy, Duo, though there are many more. Many dedicated password manager apps also include their own app authentication feature.

Using app authentication also allows you to download and store backup codes. These codes can be used to help you get logged in should you ever lose access to your device or authenticator app. It is recommended you generate backup codes and store them somewhere secure if using an authenticator app.

Email Authentication

Email authentication will send you a one-time use authentication code directly to your email address on file, whenever you try to log in. While not as secure as using an authenticator app, email authentication is a much simpler method for enabling 2FA.

A Step Towards a More Secure Bear

Building our own Two-Factor Authentication solution from the ground up was not an easy or quick task. In fact, it's something we've been carefully working on since the middle of 2023. Wanting to make sure we got it right, we've taken every precaution to ensure we are securing accounts the right way, with minimal risk to the simple user experience that TunnelBear has always been known for.

In our 7th annual security audit blog post, we mentioned that our annual audits were only one step in maintaining and improving the security of TunnelBear. Support for 2FA is another step of many that we intend to take.

There's still much more to do, and we're excited to share some of the improvements and changes coming soon to a Bear near you. Stay tuned.

Sincerely rawrs,

the TunnelBear Team