What's a good way to kepp those long 2FA backup code tables? Such that they can be retrieved when needed while not undermining all the security 2FA offers by putting them somewhere unencrypted. Password manager vault is perhaps not the way since that should be locked with 2FA too.

I don't trust password managers - that's a lot of eggs in one basket.

So I store all mine locally at home, in an encrypted Vi file.

Yes, but the alternatives are often worse.

Not perfect, but better than my parent's notebook-in-a-drawer

Oh, you don't trust password managers for the 2FA codes?

Well, the notebook in a drawer seems to be the gold standard for 2FA codes.

Correct. I also don't trust things that sync,

But i don't trust sending the codes to the printer.

They have no idea about security, usually get all files as email attachments.

heh the notebook is hand written so there are transcription errors. That's fun

Well, you trust PW managers for regular passwords though?

Well, that's the point with handwritten

I save in the browser, for convenience. But I don't synch between browsers or anything

I figuer it would take me an hour and half a block of paper to write those codes

Yeah I couldn't be bothered with that

in a way (a) i can read again (b) is free of transcription errors.

I found it challenging with sensible stuff (i was only writing equations with pencil and paper)

I don't like physical media.

Harddrives tend to get lost and fail.

usb sticks and chips are absolutely certain to get lost.

nothing is perfect. It is a matter of picking what has the least badness.

yes indeed.

The advice on stack exchange and reddit is crazy though.

all about making it safe against KGB searching your home

Nothing about the most likely trouble. You lose your phone and wallet. Or you have to recover after five years and just cant remember the 10k characters one-time-pad you learned by rote.

9 things to get to my email - definitely overkill, and that's presuming they all start in the right order.

phew.

I usually forget passwords for a while.

And I tend to mistype very often. I think about 3 to 4 times on average.

I imagine that it would take me an hour to get through all those locks.

The main problem with password manager is that it is secured by 2FA itself. So when I needed those backup codes I'd be locked out.

I did lose a lot of stuff because I encrytped it. Did not bother to set up decryption. Didn't use it for two years for that reason. And of course I forgot the password.

YES!

Taking a photo of the screen with an analogue camera (35 mm negative film)

Just keep the negative somewhere and look it up with a magnifying lens when needed.

And that is well on the "secure" side of the continuum, well away from convenience.

Don't mention it to my workplace :-\