What is Two Factor Authentication

Passwords get broken every day - even the strong ones on occasion - and so is important to have a second layer of protection.

This is where 2FA comes in. In the early days - this used to be a code which was sent as a text to your phone when you tried to do something - first being implemented by Banks to protect internet banking portals.

Today most services will offer the use of Two Factor Authentication - and we recommend you use it anywhere. it is available.

Types of 2FA

There are many different types of 2FA in use today - the most common being -

• Authenticator Apps (on your mobile)
• Text Message Codes
• Email Codes

You would have no doubt experienced some of these already in the form of codes being emailed or text to you.

This article focuses on the use of Authenticator Apps which use a 6-digit code which rotates every 30 seconds.

Recommended Authenticator Apps

We recommend the following - as you can sign in with your account and save the 2FA data - in the event of a lost or broken mobile phone.

• LastPass Authenticator - we provide this as part of our LastPass teams package.
• Microsoft Authenticator - use your Microsoft Account.
• Google Authenticator - use your Google Account.

All of these are available from the App Store on both Apple and Android devices.

IMPORTANT - make sure you Login to these services and backup this data - as 2FA is as hard for you to break as it is a wrong-doer - and will make account recovery tricky in the event you lose your mobile phone.

IMPORTANT - Make sure that you have secured your phone through the use of Pin Code, Pattern, Fingerprint or FaceID.

Recovering your 2FA Data

Simply reinstall the app which you used from the above - and login to your account (i.e. LastPass teams account)

It will prompt you about recovering your data upon logging in on a fresh device and each app will have its own process.

Setup 2FA on your Services

You will no doubt have some form of 2FA setup for your Banking Services already - as many banks require it. If you do not - then this should be the first place you add it!

For most services you generally will find this under Settings -> Security.

Every service is different of course - so may be unique in each case.

When you turn on 2FA for the service - it will usually give you an Authenticator option.

By choosing this you will be presented with a QR code or a Manual code to enter into your Authenticator app.

Simple open up the App on your mobile phone and click "Add" or "+" depending on the app.

It will open up your camera to Scan the QR code provided by the service - which will then add the service to your list.

Note - for security the codes will rotate every 30 seconds - and will show a countdown. If there is less than say 5 seconds left - I generate wait for the rotation and enter the new code - otherwise the time it takes you to enter it and submit it - the code will likely have changed :).

Need Help?

Simply give one of our team a call on (07) 929 2671 - or email us at help@miltech.co.nz - and we will be able to assist you with setting up the app.