2 factor authentication FAQs

• Google Authenticator
  • Available in the iOS App Store and the Android Play Store.
• Passwords app built into most Apple devices (iOS/iPadOS 18+)
  • Exclusive to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
  • Pre-installed on your phone and typically stored in iCloud, so it can be accessed easily if you get a new phone and set it up with the same Apple/iCloud account.
• Microsoft Authenticator
  • Available in the iOS App Store and the Android Play Store.

Check out these links and search for “FIDO U2F Security Key”:

• Yubico
• Amazon

All of the methods have options to remove them.

• Go to MyUser, open the Security tab, and locate 2FA Options at the top of the page. You can add or remove any option by clicking its respective Add or Remove button.
• For more information, see Disabling 2FA.

• If you need to change your settings and the normal 2FA login process is no longer available to you, use myuser.nmu.edu/recover to change your password and update your 2FA settings. The recovery process does not use 2-factor verification, and you will not be prompted for 2FA when you go to myuser.nmu.edu/user to complete recovery.
• Once you have changed your password, stay logged into MyUser and click the Security tab. There you can update or modify your 2FA options.

We recommend enabling at least two 2FA methods. Generally, the smartphone app is most convenient. Generate a new set of backup codes once you have used the ninth code in your current list, so you always have more than one backup code available.

With any of the 2FA options (sometimes called TFA), you should also use it to trust a number of computer browsers:

• Trust a device by selecting “Remember this computer for 30 days” when you use the authenticator app.
• Never select the Remember/trust option on someone else’s device that you are only using for a one-time login.
• If you own or have secure access to multiple computer devices, trust more than one device.

• The recovery process started at myuser.nmu.edu/recover does not use 2-step verification. You will not be prompted for 2FA when you go to myuser.nmu.edu/user to complete recovery.
• The recovery process allows you to select a mobile authenticator app as a method of proving your identity. It supplies you with a temporary password recovery code to use at myuser.nmu.edu/user.
  • For documentation on password resets, see Password Recovery Instructions.
• Help desk staff can also supply temporary password codes upon photo ID verification. These codes do not require 2FA to access your Account Management settings to disable or re-enable 2FA.

• You can use either one when prompted for a code.
• The “Use a different method” option may list the options separately if you have enabled both, but you can use either source in the Enter Code field.

• It is highly recommended that you do not rely on backup codes as your main source of 2FA. They are meant to be a backup when other options are unavailable.
• If you have trusted a browser where you signed in recently, you have 30 days or less to log in from that browser/device and generate a new list of backup codes before it prompts you for another code.
• After using nine codes, generate a new list at myuser.nmu.edu/user from the Security tab and 2FA Options.
• Otherwise, use the recovery option to change your password and access your account settings. See Password Recovery Instructions.

It may be out of sync with the correct time. The following website has instructions for Android and iPhone: My two-factor codes aren’t working.