What’s Multi-Factor Authentication?

In an effort to stay one step ahead of the cybercriminals, Information & Technology Services is working to provide multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect you. Usernames and passwords are increasingly becoming a target for theft and often, the target (you) isn’t even aware of someone else accessing the account. MFA adds an additional layer of protection to your account by verifying your identity when an unknown connection is initiated. Until this verification is complete, no one can access your account, even if they know your password. 

You’ve probably already used multi-factor authentication when accessing your bank account, Gmail app, and even gaming sites. If you haven’t, here’s how it works: You enroll a device as a point of contact, when an attempt to log-in to your account from an unknown device is detected, you will receive a phone call, text message, or alert from the Microsoft Authenticator app. If the attempt is legitimate, you simply approve the request. If you weren’t trying to access your account, you decline the request and the log-in will be denied. These prompts will occur for each device attempting to connect from outside the College’s network, and each device (excluding VPN connections) can be enabled for 30 days. 

You can self-enroll in the system at any time by following the instructions in our knowledgebase. The articles provide additional information about each type of authentication and the steps to complete the process. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Help Desk at helpdesk@etown.edu or 717-361-3333. Thank you for your help in our testing and we appreciate your support in helping protect the College’s systems from cybercrime.