Resistant to Various Threats: It’s resistant to several types of attacks, such as replay attacks, where an attacker tries to use the same password to gain unauthorized access.Standardized: As described in RFC 4226, it allows interoperability between software and hardware from different vendors, making it an industry-wide, accepted form of two-factor authentication.Robustness: HOTP is relatively simple to implement and maintain, making it a convenient solution for developers and security administrators. Versatility: HOTP can be used in various authentication scenarios and is suitable for access control for digital and physical resources.This can be an advantage in systems where time synchronization might be an issue. Independence from Time: Unlike TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password), HOTP does not rely on time synchronization between server and client.Uniqueness: Since a new password is generated for every login or transaction, it greatly reduces the risk of stolen or compromised passwords.HOTP (Hash-Based One-Time Password) has several strengths that make it a popular choice for enhancing security across various digital platforms. This differentiates it from other OTP mechanisms like TOTP, which are time-dependent. It’s important to note that since HOTP is not time-bound, unused OTPs remain valid until the counter is incremented by a successful login or similar event. The process is repeated each time a user needs to authenticate, with each OTP generated being unique and valid only once. In case the counters on the server and the device go out of sync (typically due to unused OTP generations), the server may validate OTPs within a certain look-ahead window to re-sync and resolve the discrepancy. If it matches, the user is granted access. The server generates an OTP using its stored secret key and the counter and checks if it matches the OTP provided by the user. When the user inputs the OTP into the system, the server validates it. This is the event that leads to a new OTP in HOTP. Once the OTP is used, the counter is incremented by one both server-side and on the HOTP device, preparing for the next OTP generation. This number serves as the one-time password. The hash is then truncated into a more user-friendly format, often a 6-8 digit number. It combines the secret key and the counter value and passes them through a cryptographic algorithm (typically HMAC-SHA1). GenerationĮach time an OTP is needed, the HOTP device generates it based on the current counter value and the secret key. The secret key is randomly generated and securely shared between the server and the HOTP device. Initially, the server and the HOTP device (this could be a hardware token or a digital app) both agree on a secret key and a counter, starting from zero. Here is a simplified step-by-step process of how it works. Hash-based One-Time Password (HOTP) works through a combination of a server-side “counter” and a secret key to create unique one-time passwords. The use of a counter as a moving factor in the generation of the OTP is what separates HOTP from other OTP methods such as TOTP (Time-Based One-Time Password), which uses time as the moving factor. These passwords are not time-limited, meaning they will remain valid until the next event occurs and a new OTP is generated. HOTPs are event-driven, meaning a new OTP is only generated when a specific event happens (e.g., a user pressing a button on a hardware token or initiating a new login attempt). The secret key and the counter value are then processed using HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) cryptographic functions to generate a unique HOTP value. The counter increases each time a password is generated, ensuring that each OTP is unique. The HOTP algorithm uses a combination of a shared secret key and a counter to generate the OTP. HOTP generates a unique numeric or alphanumeric code that is single-use and used for login or transaction validation. HMAC-based One-Time Password (HOTP) is a type of one-time password (OTP) algorithm that is used for authenticating users in a variety of security applications.
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