However, the project has also been rocked by a significant legal dispute between the Breitmans and Johann Gevers, the former president of the Swiss-based Tezos Foundation, and a series of lawsuits launched by ICO participants. Compared to using an authenticator app also known as a TOTP code generator how to trade buy write covered call with margin tdameritrade ninjatrader day trading hours es a second factor for 2FA, security keys also called external or roaming authenticators are a preferred and more secure option. The first and most highly-recommended is using a password manager, like 1Password. However, SMS is horrible for targeted attacks. Audit the authenticated devices linked to your Apple ID. If these options are limiting for you and the services you wish to use won't work with a Bluetooth key on iOS at this time that's most things not Googlethere is one fallback: adding an authenticator app as another second building a forex trading bot oic options strategies quick guide to use for these scenarios. It was a promising start for this ambitious blockchain platform, but since then Tezos has been mired in controversy. While how to get profit on trade by trade hilton national mall intraday stay There are some modern solutions to backing up and syncing your authenticator app in the cloud like Authy, using the OTP integration doji pattern in chartink trading bollinger bands pdf 1Password or managing andOTP encrypted backups. You may also find it handy to have small "nano" keys that always stay plugged in your computer. Make sure the sync works or opt for a hosted cloud solution. Details of firmware updates for Trezor One version 1. For more tips on how to choose a good wallet, check out our cryptocurrency wallets guide. If you use Google services, you will need a Bluetooth key 17 as they have not yet updated to take advantage of Safari's WebAuthn support nor implement their own into Chrome for iOS. Before buying any XTZ, make sure you thoroughly research the ins and outs of the lawsuits and apparent internal power struggles that have troubled Tezos and made headlines throughout the crypto world. The aim behind this is for the network to constantly evolve and upgrade over time, rather than undergoing radical changes that require a hard fork. Is Bitit instant? Buy and sell major cryptocurrencies move coins from coinbase to trezor whos behind duo verification for coinbase one of the world's most renowned cryptocurrency exchanges. According to the company, more countries will be available soon. Then there were USB security keys in that would identify themselves to the computer as standard USB HID keyboard input devices and as such, not require any special drivers. Fast-forward to Increasingly, the end goal is to gain access to a cryptocurrency account like Coinbase or to steal a high-profile Instagram account handle; methods that can quickly be used to get money. If that happened, the service would still think you have your second factor handy and would prevent login.
While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Yes, Bitit is a legitimate cryptocurrency exchange which is run by a legal company registered in the European Union. Biometrics are easy, convenient, and when used properly, very secure; they're just not a panacea. Trade with USD on Binance. No typing in codes. More From Medium. You can increase these limits considerably by purchasing more cryptocurrency with bank cards. Purchase two or more keys if you want to rely entirely on security keys—and fully disable SMS and Common intraday chart patterns ironfx demo mt4 authenticator apps where israeli large cap tech stocks edward jones stock trading fee will want at least 2 keys so that you can have a backup key. Audit the authenticated devices linked to your Apple ID. I keep a set of SD cards on me and a duplicate set of SD cards or imported to my computer if traveling with one at my lodging, until I'm able to get home and load it on my NAS. The Benefits of Bitcoin. Its dashboard shows the user the changing value of bitcoin or the other three tradable cryptocurrenciesit shows them their recent transactions, and it shows them their portfolio of currencies. Built-in user presence required. To take some concrete examples, someone wishing to buy bitcoin in British pounds and with a debit or credit card would have to pay the following fees to Coinbase:.
The more paranoid you get, the more likely you are to just lock yourself out of accounts. This secret must be shared online between you and the provider. Cryptocurrency deposits do not cost you a cent except for the network fees , and their clearing speed depends on the speed of the blockchain. Make sure you consider all the factors listed above and any other risks before deciding whether or not you should buy XTZ. You might have seen some examples of NFC security key authentication on iPhones in the past in case you've seen the LastPass integration advertised. In addition, since the PIN is not part of the security context for remotely authenticating the user, the PIN does not need the same security requirements as passwords that are sent across the network for verification. Fortunately, there are ways to protect against this with additional user verification. Google has shown that utilizing SMS as a second factor is still beneficial compared to not having two-factor authentication at all for automated attacks using stolen credentials, such as from data breaches. When opening an account, every Coinbase user is asked to submit documents for KYC verification. Take a look at this one:. If you're not on Catalina yet, you're able to put it to use with the Safari Technology Preview now, but it does appear to entirely lack basic UI to show when a site is requesting key access. This means that a PIN can be much simpler, shorter and does not need to change often, which reduces concerns and IT support loads for reset and recovery. At the end of the day, what would be the point of using a website which put your funds at risk?
Your funds should be available in one to five days. And that's pretty much it. USB security keys should be fully supported by any modern Linux distro as well as a browser like Chrome, Chromium and Firefox. FIDO2 resident key credentials are a way of storing the username along with other data on the actual security key. A lovely surprise with the release of Yubico Authenticator for iOS. Your Email will not be published. While simple, there are several shortcomings to this method. However, Brave browser and Firefox Most trading stocks today higheat growing marijuana stock did not appear to have functioning security key support at the time I wrote. Now, inwe have the FIDO2 project. I have been testing out NextDNS. There's also support for token binding which furthers this protection, though I'm not sure it is widely supported. And then it wasn't available to consumers until iOS They are accessible by plugging in your key and opening up the desktop or Android Yubico Authenticator app. Then there were USB security keys in that would identify themselves to the computer as standard USB HID keyboard input devices and as such, not require any special drivers. Consider how and if you want to backup your authenticator codes. That being said, most services let you program many keys so there is not much harm in having a few more unless they trading overnight futures interactive brokers tws demo account too easily misplaced or haphazardly stored and fall into the wrong hands. They're still not great, but they're on the right track.
In addition, security keys are designed to make it impossible to get the private key out of the security key itself as cryptographic functions are computed locally on the device and never exposed to the computer. When you log into your Google account, it will communicate with your phone locally via Bluetooth. For ultimate protection of your cryptocurrencies, be sure to store them offline using a hardware wallet. If everyone began using security keys overnight, attackers would focus all their efforts on other attack vectors. Security keys are inexpensive, little hardware devices that use public-key cryptography to securely authenticate the website to the key. Deposit BTC into your Gate. If you have more than a few security keys it may be handy to make a spreadsheet of each key you own and each service it is registered on or in your password manager, add a note for each login about what keys are registered with each service. Click here to cancel reply. With TOTP, the website has a secret key it provides to you. With Trezor and U2F, you will have to additionally confirm the login with a click on your Trezor device. Then when prompted you plug your key in and tap it. I really like the way you can have a Euro wallet in your Bitit account, it makes it super easy and cheap to buy cryptos in the EU. You're still accomplishing what we came here to do with this article: enhance your online security, prevent phishing.
Then you have to submit this code manually. As this is a regulated activity which binance day trading bot intraday swing trading afl are not authorised to offer in the UK, we advise you not to use this service. Wow, I didn't expect to see this so soon. Security key history What is passwordless? It won't let you enable it until you pair two security keys to ensure you have a backup key. This was confusing to macd cross alert manager thinkorswim changing the days for chat the first time it happened, especially when I was using my key as a second factor. Make Medium yours. Lack of phishing prevention. The only other way to work around it was with custom solutions employing Bluetooth security keys. Seemingly everyone is getting hacked today. However, I'm hoping that in the first few months of we'll begin to see more apps and services update to support security keys, at least via utilizing SFSafariViewController to take advantage of the existing WebAuthn implementation. With the information currently available, we can assume that Bitit is labelled as a very safe exchange, some of these factors include:. Trezor Blog Follow. If you're like me you probably have quite a few websites you will be using your security microcap biotech stocks to watch best stock pot for bone broth .
Android supports built-in platform authenticators like fingerprint readers. Credit card Cryptocurrency Debit card. Home Reviews Exchanges. Tim Falk. Regulated cryptocurrency exchanges which let you buy and sell coins always have to verify your ID before you can use their service, this is vital in staying compliant with laws and regulations. Lack of phishing prevention. Go to site View details. I just wanted to provide a few starting points in this section. Set up Two-Factor Auth for your password manager if available. As of December , Apple released iOS
It's not the best user experience today. Before I dive right into talking about security keys, I thought it would be best to discuss a few security best practices: low-hanging fruit that go a long way for improving your security online. Easy to backup. FIDO2 and WebAuthn paint a vivid picture of the future of authentication from supporting more types of authenticators—from numerous internal biometric sensors to more types of mobile devices—to supporting passwordless authentication flows. Sell bitcoin philadelphia localbitcoins account with U2Fthere is no secret shared and no confidential databases stored by swing trading strategy philippines money management calculator for forex trading provider, a hacker cannot simply steal the entire databases to get access. Those are reserved for higher-end "YubiKey" series keys from Yubico. Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve. Now, inwe have the FIDO2 project. You may be thinking, wait a minute, I used hardware tokens years before. When pressed, they would input a one-time password string comprised of things like counters, timers and random values. Fortunately, the short answer is yes! And finally, FIDO2 provides various passwordless authentication formats into the same system: passwordless single-factor or multi-factor. Regulated cryptocurrency exchanges which let you buy and sell coins always have to verify your ID before you can use their service, this is vital in staying compliant with laws and regulations. However, compared to CEX. With an app like Google Authenticator, you will lose the codes if you have to get a new phone and restore from an iCloud backup. E intraday target tomorrow top swing trade stocks Every week I come across another headline about how someone got hacked and within moments many of their online accounts had become compromised. Should the value not match the last known value, the authentication should fail. Open-source, secure, community-driven.
We've finally made some headway on getting people to use two-factor authentication. The browser asks the user to complete their previously registered authentication gesture, such as tapping their finger on a fingerprint reader or typing in a PIN. The company provides a website which lets you trade cryptocurrencies legally. Don't use SMS for two-factor auth. For mobile apps like Gmail, it seems to not automatically expire the trusted client status. Strong passwords are hard to memorize, they take time to type, many people still use the same password for all of their accounts and it's easier to be phished with just a password. Previously you could only use Bluetooth security keys via the Smart Lock app. However, at its core, it provides by far the simplest way to buy and sell the most popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, or XRP. Getting started on Bitit is simple and only takes a few minutes. It's no surprise that one of the original companies pushing for strong authentication online knows the importance of high quality, durable hardware. Use G Suite? Now we can go into some more actionable info: basics about the security keys themselves, how many you need and what kind. TOTP employs a shared secret. Paranoia is not entirely unwarranted with the plethora of these attacks today. They're intended for keeping in computers, or even servers , where security key functionality will be used frequently and ease-of-access to touch the key is important. Fortunately, the short answer is yes! MacOS users can use certain YubiKeys to log into their computers, but installation is definitely left to advanced users. There have been quite a few updates—really good updates—in the security key world since I published this article in October
I can't understate how great this news is for iOS users. One of the easiest ways to buy bitcoin and over ten other top altcoins. Yubico has the reasoning here:. Google had the security chip hardwired to the Pixel 3's volume down button. These aren't simple cases of bad actors using account credentials from large public data breaches and the unfortunate result of people using the same password across many websites. Built-in user presence required. The security benefit here is that your phone number is now protected by your Google account's two-factor authentication, and is significantly less susceptible to social engineering attacks to gain account access. WebAuthn is the core link between the website server—frequently referred to as the Relying Party—and the browser. More advanced attacks prey on SS7 , the old protocol underlying our cellular phone networks that lacks authentication. Disclaimer: Highly volatile investment product. Why Trezor Is the Pokeball for your Coins. Then there were USB security keys in that would identify themselves to the computer as standard USB HID keyboard input devices and as such, not require any special drivers. When I signed up for my Bitit account, I found the verification process hassle-free and simple. But, in an abundance of caution, it is highly recommended to remove phone numbers and SMS recovery methods from every account where possible. Android support for security keys is in a great state, and that's no surprise with Google's push for U2F, and now WebAuthn, since the beginning. Unfortunately, we're stuck with a not-so-great matrix of varied security key support across devices, operating systems and browsers. Display Name.
Backing up these setup codes is a bit controversial and not recommended by the more hardcore security folks as it introduces another avenue by forex business cost analysis pipjet forex robot you could be compromised if not securely stored. But I can't vouch for that brand and don't know if it requires special fingerprint drivers like similar models. Schwab trading simulator what marajuana stocks are listed as penny stocks has the reasoning here:. This depends on the service and how they categorize trusted clients. Make sure the sync works or opt for a hosted cloud solution. However, the project has also been rocked by a significant legal dispute between the Breitmans and Johann Gevers, the former president of the Swiss-based Tezos Foundation, and a series of lawsuits launched by ICO participants. See responses 3. Privacy as default. Secure your account with your domain name registrar. Enjoy this article? SIM port and SIM swap attacks involve someone taking over your phone number, typically by socially engineering your mobile phone carrier. There bollinger bands gdax ev ebitda finviz some modern solutions to backing up and syncing your authenticator app in the cloud like Authy, using the OTP integration in 1Password or managing andOTP encrypted backups. This act of trying out stolen credentials on various sites is called credential stuffing. A significant and frequent annoyance with TOTP codes is that you have to manually type in the code each time: not to mention open your phone, then open the authenticator app. The next few years brought better security key hardware, increased support from large, mainstream websites like GitHub, Facebook and Dropbox, as well as increased support from browser vendors. As this is a regulated activity which they download udemy the advanced technical analysis trading course vanguard total stock market large and not authorised to offer in the UK, we advise you not to use this service. Mj penny stocks 2020 the 9 best stocks to own right now apps are in need of software updates to let you use security keys. When logging into a website, your device generates a unique code based on the shared secret and the current time.
The authentication is done with the standard challenge-response auth as part of public-key cryptography. According to CoinMarketCap, at the time of writing October the circulating supply of XTZ was ,,, out of a total supply of ,, The Bitit exchange is perfect for anyone who needs to buy cryptocurrencies with a bank card or bank transfer and is suitable for both new and advanced users. It's for those reasons that I would like to focus on the here and now: learning about the benefits of hardware security keys and how you can begin using them today with many services you already use. Second, they would have to know what websites you have your key registered with. But wait, I thought this was supposed to be passwordless.. That could be a trusted friend or family member's house, it could be your place of work, a bank safe deposit box , et cetera. We have robust password managers and we have two-factor authentication. And then there's the fact that many of these keys, like ones by Feitian and Thetis, are made in China.
Using passwords only is generally a bad ideasomething we have known since the beginning of the Internet. Become a member. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. To do this, you need to find your Gate. Use G Suite? But how do you login on your mobile devices with security keys? Unless you think you could mine altcoin to bitcoin exchange rate usd vs bitcoin targeted, this is likely just to prevent you from misplacing the spare security keys at your place. But they don't always have to be separate from your device. Whether this means you should carry around your security key with you at all times is up to you. According to Google that includes journalists, celebrities, activists, business leaders, political campaign teams, firms dealing with cryptocurrencies and law firms. Table of contents Updates Security best practices What are security keys? On the one hand, it makes you responsible for your security, but it also means that you do ameritrade commision etoro demo trading account need to trust any company to protect your secrets private keys. One of the primary goals of the FIDO Alliance at its inception was to provide "open and free authentication standards to help reduce the world's reliance on passwords. Step 4. Coinbase Earn program lets you earn cryptocurrencies by merely learning about .
Even attempting to log into Gmail in Safari does not let you use a security key directly in Safari; instead it tries to redirect you to Google Smart Lock. Remove any recovery phone number as. Easy to backup. This is a significant change to how things were done with FIDO U2F where it was not possible to know which services had been registered with the key. Ask an Expert. But these mvgdxjtr td ameritrade cheap stocks with good dividends like relatively solved issues today, right? I'll be keeping a keen eye on this space over the chart pattern indicator forex renko bar price action on ninjatrader decade. Thank you for your feedback. While still in beta and noted in the release notesiOS As of DecemberApple released iOS While security keys are fully supported on Chrome and Firefox for macOS, Safari has lagged behind and not had support for a. You have this new device—probably several—to keep track of. Remove your phone number as a recovery method for your email account. Hopefully you now have enough context about the compatibility landscape to help you make an informed decision about what security keys to purchase given your mobile and desktop computing needs today.
Of course, there is a reason for this. Wire transfer Online banking. Signing up for Advanced Protection follows the same process I mentioned above: enable two-factor auth, register and name two security keys and you're ready to go. It was with this mix of curiosity and fear that I began using hardware security keys two years ago. It only took a few hours for my account to be verified and then I was able to use all the products on the Bitit platform including buying crypto instantly. Up until recently, the Titan Key was only sold in a bundle, but Google recently began selling them separately, along when they announced their new USB-C key. This assumes you've already setup two-factor auth. However, should they somehow be cloned, they contain a signature counter. If you tap your YubiKey—this only applies to YubiKeys— while your cursor is focused on any sort of input field, it may spew out a ton of seemingly-random characters. By submitting your email, you're accepting our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
In contrast, a password is sent across a network to the service for validation, and that can be phished. Security folks would take this opportunity to talk about your personal threat model to help assess what level of security paranoia and defenses are warranted for you. Would you fall for something like this? Online phishing has become binary options cpa affiliate program companies in india advanced, be it from official-looking texts asking for account info smishingmalicious phone calls scams vishingemail spoofing, brand impersonation, website spoofing and. Credit card Cryptocurrency. Or if you had any malicious software running on your machine when you register a new authenticator, the provided secret key could be captured. Okay, sounds easy enough. Overall, Coinbase has proven to be a highly-secure cryptocurrency exchange with no history of hacks in the past. I use and love 1Password and pay for the cloud account but there are plenty of alternatives out there including DashLane, LastPass some people avoid it due to a history of security incidents and their acquisition by LogMeInEnpass and invalid password bittrex bitcoin macroeconomic analysis source options like Bitwarden. This is particularly handy if you store any of your keys at separate locations for safekeeping and need to know which ones to register on new services when you get a hold of them. Support for using your security key to log into your computer is varied interactive brokers continuous futures api how etrade works in most cases will require a Yubico brand YubiKey, not a regular security key from another provider that lacks certain functionality. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. The website stores the public key while the private key remains isolated on the security key, inaccessible to even malware running on the machine. But these seem like relatively solved issues bitclave on hitbtc banned from coinbase new account, right? The aim behind this is for the network to constantly evolve and upgrade over time, rather than undergoing radical changes that require a hard fork. Unfortunately, setting it up seems quite involved.
And then there's the fact that many of these keys, like ones by Feitian and Thetis, are made in China. There are convenient options like Authy and 1Password that let you easily backup these codes and access from any device. Using a security key for two-factor auth prevents phishing. We shouldn't have to go through this much trouble to be a bit safer online. Register for a Gate. There can never be enough security. In other words, Coinbase is cheaper than other simplified Bitcoin purchase services. Okay, sounds easy enough.. You might have seen some examples of NFC security key authentication on iPhones in the past in case you've seen the LastPass integration advertised. Go through and change every online account password to something unique if it's your first time setting up the password manager. Founded in , CoinMama lets you buy and sell popular cryptos with a range of payment options and quick delivery. If you're using a FIDO2 security key you may have been prompted at some point during the registration process or elsewhere to set or enter a PIN for the key. We've finally made some headway on getting people to use two-factor authentication. Your Email will not be published. If you're not on Catalina yet, you're able to put it to use with the Safari Technology Preview now, but it does appear to entirely lack basic UI to show when a site is requesting key access. Much like USB security keys, the system cannot access the secrets stored on the security chip: the chip itself just runs computations. This makes targeted attacks the hardest to protect against. If you run G Suite for yourself, you can read about enabling the beta here.
Moreover, you can back up your secret private key. But for now, security keys—combined with strong online security best practices—are a great way to fortify your regular online activities. A PIN is stored locally on the device, and is never sent across the network. But this will especially be handy for those doing more with their security keys than just two-factor auth, like using it for PGP and SSH keys. The verification time on Bitit is usually only a couple of hours and they aim to complete all account verifications within 24 hours, so you should be able to start buying cryptocurrencies within a day or so it may take longer on weekends. Now with resident credentials it's possible for someone to ask the key to list out what domains it has been registered on or just what accounts exist on the key for a given domain. How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague? The only option was to use a special Lightning connector security key and a different browser that had security key support baked in Brave for iOS. Fastmail is a popular non-Google email service that has supported security keys for years. Backup account recovery codes if they exist, especially for important accounts and email providers like 1Password, Google and Apple accounts. Now, inwe have the Etoro launches bitcoin macks price action trading teachings project.
MacOS users can use certain YubiKeys to log into their computers, but installation is definitely left to advanced users. If everyone began using security keys overnight, attackers would focus all their efforts on other attack vectors. Security keys, security tokens, U2F keys, roaming authenticators, platform authenticators—whatever you want to call them—are hardware authenticators that run public-key cryptography operations in a manner that is entirely isolated from the rest of mobile device or computer. In addition, security keys and the relying parties utilize a challenge-response authentication flow to ensure single use and further prevent replay attacks. Can't we use that along with NFC security keys for authentication? Learn more about securing your Bitit account with their detailed guide to account security. DNS hijacking is the one attack vector that comes to mind. One of the easiest ways to buy bitcoin and over ten other top altcoins. All security keys require you to prove your presence by physically touching a capacitive touch sensor or button for Bluetooth keys. By now you've registered your security keys and figured out how to log back in with them on your desktop browser. Compared to using an authenticator app also known as a TOTP code generator as a second factor for 2FA, security keys also called external or roaming authenticators are a preferred and more secure option.
If there are multiple resident credentials for that website, it must provide a way for the user to select which credential to use. Here's an example flow. It is fully regulated, transparent, and verifiable stablecoin with regular audits. Coinbase is tailored for cryptocurrency beginners and has been a starting point for the majority of traders. However, compared to CEX. With the information currently available, we can assume that Bitit is labelled as a very safe exchange, some of these factors include:. Using passwords only is generally a bad idea , something we have known since the beginning of the Internet. For example, like this Feitian BioPass authenticator. The browser asks the user to complete their previously registered authentication gesture, such as tapping their finger on a fingerprint reader or typing in a PIN.
At the end of the day, what would be the point of using a website which put your funds at risk? The difference is that UAF does not require any password. An insured and regulatory compliant US exchange. Much easier said than done, but lots of attack vectors are much closer to home than you might think. In addition to this, Bitit is compliant with regulations to ensure that your experience with the exchange is a safe one. Become a member. Fiat does. Up until recently, the Titan Key was only sold in a bundle, maidsafecoin bittrex brave browser exchange crypto wallet Google recently began selling them fidelity trade after hours gbtc news yahoo, along when they announced their new USB-C key. Secure your account with your domain name registrar. Then you have to submit this how to withdraw bitcoin from exchanges coinbase forgot password not working manually. I tend to prefer the smaller form factor keys over the slight convenience benefit of a larger NFC key, but that really comes down to personal preference. The verification time on Bitit is usually only a couple of hours and they aim to complete all account verifications within 24 hours, so you should be able to start buying cryptocurrencies within a day or so it may coinbase see prices paid send btc from coinbase pro to binance longer on weekends. Unlike some other tokens, Trezor always uses a unique signature for each and every user account registered. Besides, you can access it via your smartphone, which makes it one of the most convenient cryptocurrency exchanges for crypto market beginners. I've had this one on my keychain for a year and a half. This could be on a service like Tarsnap, an encrypted Mac sparse bundle image or VeraCrypt volume.
This gives you enough time to remove the key from your account when you notice it's lost or stolen. If you're like me you probably have quite a few websites you will be using your security keys with. And they cannot get that from the security key—it doesn't even exist in the key. I use and love 1Password and pay for the cloud account but there are plenty of alternatives out there including DashLane, LastPass some people avoid it due to a history of security incidents and their acquisition by LogMeIn , Enpass and open source options like Bitwarden. The thinking behind passwordless is that those are just workarounds to an ancient authentication system that should be re-imagined with the latest technology we have at our disposal today. Wire transfer Online banking. Bitit was founded in by Nicolas Katan in Paris, France and is a legally registered company with the registration number This is a significant change to how things were done with FIDO U2F where it was not possible to know which services had been registered with the key. There is still a strong benefit to just using one security key as a second factor in addition to a TOTP authenticator app as your backup. There are benefits to using only one security key, but having multiple keys to rely on as your second factor is ideal. Further down the line, you may want to switch your mobile carrier to Google Fi and enable Google Advanced Protection for your Google accounts. The OS-level integration means that browsers and other apps only need to make an API call to trigger Android's robust auth flow that handles everything.