Just One Is Never Enough!

Please configure multiple MFA methods so that losing one does not prevent you from accessing your Geneseo account!

Common ways to lose access to MFA methods are:

1. Deleting the Microsoft Authenticator app or transferring it to a new phone

2. Traveling abroad and losing access to receive text messages or phone calls on your primary phone number

We are required to use MFA by new SUNY security guidelines. Our systems are under constant attack. The most common are password spray attacks where attackers send thousands of logins using usernames and passwords harvested from the web to phishing attacks where attackers attempt to get your username and password. Multi-factor Authentication stops all these attacks. 

If you would like a detailed analysis of how MFA protects logins Your Pa$$word Doesn't Matter lays out Microsoft's research across millions of logins explaining why passwords are insecure and how MFA results in protecting against all but the most targeted attacks.

Logins to most Geneseo web based services and Microsoft's OneDrive and Office will require you to sign in and use MFA at least every 14 days. Sign in frequency varies between services based on security and vendor requirements.

When prompted to sign in, click on the Sign in another way button and select a new method.Image Removed Image Removed

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You should notify the CIT HelpDesk as soon as possible if you lose your phone or authenticator.

Yes. Using a device for multi-factor login comes with the obligation to take reasonable precaution to protect it. Such precautions normally include the use of a password or a PIN to unlock the phone, as well as maintaining current versions of your device's operating system and Authenticator App.

Yes. Third-party apps such as 1Password, Authy, or Google Authenticator can be used as a software token to generate an OATH verification code. Users may have a combination of up to five OATH hardware tokens or authenticator applications such as the Microsoft Authenticator app configured for use at any time.

You should report all messages that you did not generate. This may be a sign of someone attempting unauthorized access to your account, and your password may be compromised. Deny the notification and then confirm that it’s a fraudulent attempt. You should change your Geneseo password after reporting the fraudulent login attempt. Note: the authenticator app will warn you that reporting a fraudulent attempt may cause your account to be blocked or disabled, but this will only occur if you do not change your password in a timely manner. 

The Microsoft Authenticator needs access to your camera to take a picture of the QR code (the weird barcode looking square) on your screen. It does not use camera access for anything else.

The Microsoft authenticator does not track you and it does not log location data. The only push notifications it will ever send you are approval requests for logins to Geneseo systems. The Microsoft Authenticator does not give CIT or Microsoft access to any data or information on your device.

You may not think you have access to any information worth protecting, but all our faculty staff have access to some secure information of one kind or another, from your W-2 (which an attacker could use to commit fraud and receive your tax return) to student health data, FERPA protected student data, or college financial data.

If your Geneseo account is compromised, it also could be used to trick other Geneseo staff into responding to a phishing email. Your account can also allow an attacker to more easily access systems or compromise users that do have access to the data they are looking for.