Chapter 5
Recovery without loops
5.1 Learning objectives
- Draw a recovery map for all important accounts.
- Detect and break recovery loops (circular recovery).
- Distinguish recovery contacts (while you are alive) from legacy contacts (after death).
5.2 Concepts
Recovery loops
Email A recovers email B, email B recovers email C, email C recovers email A. When all three demand 2FA from a phone that is lost, there is nowhere to start. A recovery loop is system suicide.
The recovery map
Each account is a node. An arrow from X to Y means "X is recovered by Y". A correct map must:
- Have no cycles (circles).
- Have every path eventually lead to ROOT.
- Give each important node at least 2 independent recovery paths.
Two kinds of contacts
| Type | When used | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery contact | When you are alive but have lost access | Helps you verify and regain the account |
| Legacy contact | When you die, with valid documents | Helps your family access data (photos, documents). Does not save you while alive |
5.3 Worked example
Mr. A's old map:
| Account | Recovered by | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Personal email | Work email | Circle |
| Work email | Personal email | Circle |
| Password manager | Personal email | The personal email in turn needs a password inside the manager |
| Registrar | Email ***@example.vn | The email lives on the very domain the registrar manages |
New map:
| Account | Recovered by (path 1) | Path 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Email ***@example.vn | Domain example.vn (ROOT) | Paper recovery codes |
| Personal email | ***@example.vn | Hardware key |
| Work email | ***@example.vn | Organization administrator |
| Password manager | Offline emergency kit + master password | Second hardware key |
| Registrar | Personal email (not on that domain) | Identity documents |
5.4 Common mistakes
- Checking only short circles (A ↔ B) and missing long ones (A → B → C → A).
- The recovery phone number is an old number, or belongs to someone who has left the company.
- Confusing a legacy contact with someone who helps you recover.
5.5 Checklist
5.6 Exercises
- Draw your recovery map. Count the cycles.
- For each cycle, propose a way to break it using something at a higher tier.
- Write a one-page guide for your family: "If I am gone, follow this order". No secrets, only where things are kept.
5.7 Summary
- The recovery map must be a graph without loops, with every path leading to ROOT.
- Two independent paths for each important account.
- Legacy contacts save data when you are gone; they do not save you while alive.