Multi-factor Authentication
On the week of April 12, 2021, BCTC will be enabling Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) for all Student Microsoft Office 365 accounts.
What is Multi-Factor Authentication?
Multi-factor authentication is a simple way of protecting BaruchMail accounts by requiring students to provide more than just their username and password when attempting to log in.
Multi-factor authentication adds a second layer of protection that requires students to prove their identity before they are granted access to their email account.
For example, if someone managed to crack or steal your password but doesn’t have the device you associated with your profile, they won’t be allowed to log in. So that second factor—the mobile or office phone—will protect your account from unauthorized logins.
Implementing Multi-factor authentication will help the BCTC department reduce the number of internal SPAM attacks to BaruchMail accounts.
Benefits of Multi-Factor Authentication
The primary benefit of Multi-factor authentication is that it provides additional security layers and decreases student email accounts’ chance of becoming compromised.
The rise in phishing and social engineering attacks to obtain passwords and other personal information has raised many College concerns. Enabling Multi-factor authentication is a tool that will help to alleviate this.
Configuring Multi-Factor Authentication
Microsoft offers three different ways you can use multi-factor authentication to verify your identity from your phone:
- Use the Microsoft Authenticator app. This app provides you with a one-time code.
- Receive a phone call on your registered number. If you select this option, you will receive a call on either your mobile or landline phone and will be asked to press the pound sign (#) to confirm your identity.
- Receive a text message at your registered number. You will receive a one-time code through a text message sent to your mobile phone. You then enter the one-time code on the screen where you are trying to log in.
You can either use one of these options or configure multiple options for multi-factor authentication.
You can decide the best method of receiving this code, via text, phone call, Microsoft Authenticator app, or all the above.
Instructions for setting up each method can be found here.
