Two Factor Authentication

What is two factor Authentication?

Two factor authentication (or 2FA) is named as such because it requires two different types of “factors” to gain access to your account - something you know (like a password) and something you have or own (like a fingerprint, key, or mobile phone). This setup significantly decreases the ability for somebody to hack into your account, since simply acquiring the username and password is not enough. 

We enforce 2FA for our google accounts to keep the information secure. We try to use our google logins for as many other platforms as possible to minimise the number of username and password couples we all have to remember and to leverage this layer of security from our google accounts. Sometimes this isn't possible and you may well have seperate login credentials for another platform and we may well require 2FA for this platform too, if it contains sensitive, personal or identifable data within it. 

Setting up 2Fa for Google

We recommend;

1.  Using the google authenticator app for your 2FA method
   As once set-up it works offline and is phone number independent (helpful if you travel). 

2. Having 2 regular methods to authenticate
   E.g authenticator app and your phone number. This redundancy can be really helpful

Setting 2FA Up

1. Open your Google Account.

2. In the navigation panel, select Security.

3. Under “Signing in to Google,” select 2-Step Verification  Get started.

4. Follow the on-screen steps.
   
   

For more details, click the button below for a detailed guide.

Using Backup Codes

Sometimes you may need to use backup codes to get access to your google account; 

E.g. your 2FA method is your phone and it's lost/broken, you didn't set up 2FA on login and now you've been locked out

To request these one-time codes email: ITandLogisticsSupport@allhandsandhearts.org with the subject line "Need 2FA backup code"

Then an admin user will send you a back up code you can then use to access your AHAH email account. These codes only work once, so you need to make sure you refresh your 2FA methods on this login. For this reason, we recommend logging in from a computer (rather than phone) as it's easier to set up all types of methods.

Sign In with a Backup Code

1. Find your backup codes.

2. Sign in to your Google Account.

3. Click Try another way.

4. Click Enter one of your 8-digit backup codes.

5. Enter one of your unused backup codes.