• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Don't get locked out!
• Download the Microsoft Authenticator App
• Adding Additional MFA methods
  • Phone Verification
  • Text (SMS) Message
  • Security Key
    • Just One Is Never Enough!
• Remove an MFA Method
• Change your default MFA method
  • Unexpected Notifications?
  • "Other" Authenticator Apps
• Troubleshooting and Questions
• Still Need Help?

Just One Is Never Enough!

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. Getting a new phone - the Microsoft Authenticator app does not support transfer or backup/restore for Work or School accounts.

2. Traveling abroad to a place where your US phone number cannot receive SMS or calls.

Unexpected Notifications?

If you receive a notification when you are not attempting to log in, deny the request and use the 'report as fraud' function within the app.

We are required to use MFA by 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, and phishing attacks, where attackers attempt to get your username and password. Multi-factor Authentication stops all these attacks. 

Suppose you would like a detailed analysis of how MFA protects logins. In that case, 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 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.

You should notify the CIT HelpDesk immediately if you lose your phone or authenticator.

Yes. Using a device for multi-factor login comes with the obligation to take reasonable precautions to protect it. Such precautions normally include using a password or a PIN to unlock the phone and 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 promptly. 

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

The Microsoft authenticator does not track you or log location data. The only push notifications it will ever send 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 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 could also 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 who do have access to the data they are looking for.