Remember TOTP
Full name: Time-Based One-Time Password
Memory aid: Time Turns Over the Password.
TOTP codes can still be phished; protect the shared seed.
Study area: Identity & access · Batch 3
Relevant study for: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 · ISC2 CISSP 2024 outline · ISC2 SSCP · Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals SC-900 · Identity and Access Administrator SC-300 · ISC2 CC · Cybersecurity Architect SC-100
Practice with exam flashcards →Cybersecurity & Identity / Knowledge library
TOTP — Time-Based One-Time Password
Derives short-lived passcodes from a secret and time step.
Why learn TOTP — Time-Based One-Time Password?
Derives short-lived passcodes from a secret and time step.
Where it came from
TOTP codes can still be phished; protect the shared seed.
- Memory aid (a learning cue, not the expansion): Time Turns Over the Password.
Build your understanding
Work through these exercises in order. Try the task before opening a reference.
- Without looking, expand TOTP: Time-Based One-Time Password.
- Recall this memory aid: Time Turns Over the Password.
- Explain the practical use: Derives short-lived passcodes from a secret and time step.
- Explain this distinction: TOTP codes can still be phished; protect the shared seed.
- Identify TOTP in a device specification, architecture diagram, or system inventory.
Documentation and sources
- IETF RFC 6238 (www.rfc-editor.org)