I use a lot of online services on a lot of different PCs and smartphones. Every day, I would get a handful of two-factor authentication (2FA) text messages from Google, Microsoft, WordPress, etc., etc. And, while I know that this kind of 2FA isn't security theater, I also know it's not really secure either.
Yes, 2FA can help preserve your security, but it's not a security panacea. Here's what it is, what it's good for, and, how, far too often, it can be broken leaving your accounts wide open to attack.
What is 2FA?
Like them or not, user IDs and passwords "secure" our services. Unfortunately, even if we do the right thing and use unique passwords for every blessed website, computer, or service, one-factor authentication (user ID/password) simply isn't enough for any kind of real security.