What Is Two-Factor Authentication?
What to do: Turn on two-factor authentication for your important accounts, using an authenticator app on your phone. Save the backup codes in your password manager.
Normally you prove who you are with a password: something you know. Two-factor authentication (also called 2FA or MFA) adds a second check: something you have, usually your phone.
Even if someone steals your password, they still can’t get in without your phone.
The most common kind is a TOTP (“time-based one-time password”): a 6-digit code from an app on your phone that changes every 30 seconds.
How to Set It Up
The sysadmin is happy to walk you through this the first time. If you’d like to do it yourself:
- Install an authenticator app on your phone:
- Android: Aegis Authenticator
- iPhone: Ente Auth
- Sign in to the account you want to protect on your computer, and go to its settings. Look for a section called something like Security, Password, or Sign-in, and an option to turn on two-factor authentication, 2FA, 2-step verification, or authenticator app.
- The website will show you a QR code. Open your authenticator app, tap the button to add an account, and point your phone’s camera at the QR code. (If you can’t scan it, the site will also show a long code you can type in instead.)
- The app now shows a 6-digit code for that account. Type it into the website to finish setting up.
- Save the backup codes. The website will give you a list of backup (or “recovery”) codes. Save them in your password manager. Don’t skip this. If you lose or break your phone, the backup codes are the only way back into your account.
Signing In From Now On
When you sign in, the website will ask for a code after your password. Open the authenticator app and type in the 6-digit code shown for that account. If the code is about to run out, wait for the next one.
Shared Office Accounts
The codes for the office’s shared accounts, such as QuickBooks, aren’t on anyone’s phone. They’re in the Ente Auth desktop app, which is installed on Evelyn’s computer (wsnorth) and Marva’s computer (wswest).