Can you explain how google authenticator / wireless tokens work?

I've been curious as to how google generates one time log in tokens on an iPhon开发者_如何学Ce app without comminicatig with the server when the token is Assigned. The token changes every ten seconds. How does google know what the right token is? I disabled data and it still works.

Thanks

it uses your unique key during setup as well as a special sequence/algorithm (that's part of the authenticator program (in your case, the iPhone .app)) to generate a special key. As part of the key-generating process, it also uses the current time on your iPhone to match up with the computer time you are logging in from.

remember a verification code, wait for the current code to expire, and continue logging into your google account on your computer with your previously memorized code. it will still work. try changing the time on your phone by 20 minutes off or something, and use a newly-generated code, it will not work.

it works similar to the HSBC security dongle keychain thinggy (for online banking) if you have one.

Google Authenticator generates OTPs based on the secret key. The secret key (seed) is 16 or 32 character alphanumeric code. In the process of token enrollment, the server generates the secret key and shares it with your phone via QR code (or you can enter it manually). For example, when TOTP algorithm is used, server and Google Authenticator know the seed and the current time and based on this information they generate the same one-time passwords (OTPs) at predetermined intervals. So the key elements are the secret key and time. Google Authenticator doesn’t require any internet connection or mobile network.