Well, I bought my Yubikey (v2.2.2 firmware) back in 2011. I never really found much use for the Yubico OTP since only this forum accepted it (still is the only site I use that accepts it) so the most I used it for was occasionally when my interest peaked again, the windows login protection using SHA1-HMAC challenge-response and also a static password which I used as a postfix to site-specific subjective meta information to essentially ensure each site had a unique password which the "system" was extremely difficult to decipher.
Well after some years of only using it for the static password I had a problem with my computer which required me to use my phone more, which meant I had to memorise the random password stored in the Yubikey since I could not use it on my phone. Also I had a strange intermittent problem where the computer would stop reading the Yubikey and I had to take it out, clean it and reboot the computer. I am still unsure exactly what the problem was but it was very inconvenient having a locked PC with no ability to unlock, losing unsaved work etc upon reboot. So I eventually stopped using the Yubikey because I just knew the "random" password components to type. So it sat in draws, shelves, moved around and not used for a couple years. Until somewhat recently when I found it and decided to start using it again. I researched and a new "Yubikey 4" was out and decided to order it for the numerous new benefits. I love the Yubikey 4 and had plans next pay day to buy the neo and hope and pray that a newer one with even more capabilities doesn't come out and annoy me to spend more money. But now my old Yubikey 2.2.2 has stopped working. I cleaned the contacts, rebooted (after forgetting about this old problem, through not using it for so long) and it still did not work.
I tried using specific contact cleaner, nothing, tried using "Peek" polish which is a metal/plastic cleaner which does a magical job of cleaning metal. It took off a bit of the gold plating off but still was dead. I filed the end of the Yubikey to hope to push it in a bit further and get the USB contacts to contact a bit further up than normally would be contact with and still dead. I took a 2000 grit knife sharpening stone and give it a quick few light swipes and more gold came off and still dead. So I officially have safely, securely retired it using the wire cutters of my Gerber MP600 multi-tool and totally destroyed it.
I have shifted some money around and decided to order the neo early and cut my spending down till pay day, so that I a) have 2 Yubikeys again and I hope to use the NFC capability so I can get my TOTP codes off the google authenticator and solely make use of Yubico's desktop and android authenticators.
If anyone reads this, are there multiple benefits of having NFC? I know I can have about 30 TOTP entries stored on that and use the app but are there any other simultaneous benefits that I can get by having a neo?
Thanks.
_________________ My GnuPG (PGP) Key ID: 614D98E6
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