What is Two-Factor Authentication?

Two-Factor Authentication (TFA) is a way to set-up your phone/tablet device to receive (via phone/sms) or generate (using an app) a special key code which is only valid for a short time, and only for your user account. You then use this code to complete your login/authentication.

Logging into a system with a standard username + password combination is considered 1 factor authentication. Adding a second level of authentication allows you to better protect your account from un-authorized access.

You can now set-up Two-Factor Authentication for your Accelo account. Note that each user must enable and configure this for their own user account.

Set-up Instructions

To enable two-factor authentication for your Accelo user account, firstly login to Accelo, and then:

1. Click your User Icon > Preferences
   
   
   

2. Scroll down to the Two Factor Authentication section and click Configure
   
   
   

3. You'll see a QR code and some instructions. But, before scanning it, you'll need to:

   1. Install Google Authenticator on your phone via the Google Play store or the Apple App Store. If you're not sure whether your device is supported, read more about Google Authenticator here.

4. Open Google Authenticator on your phone/tablet, and select the Add an account option.

5. Select the option to Scan a barcode. Your QR reader app should then open. Hold your phone to the computer screen to scan the QR code.

6. Once scanned, your phone will then display a code (which expires every 20 seconds or so). Enter this code into the field at step 2 of the instructions on your Accelo screen, and click Add Two Factor.

7. Two-Factor Authentication is now enabled for your user account. This means that next time you login, after entering your username and password, you'll see a second login screen.

8. You will need to open Google Authenticator on your phone/tablet to get a fresh code. Enter this code and continue by pressing Login.

9. Once Two-Factor Authentication has been enabled for a user, it will be indicated in the User List for the deployment.

   

What happens if I lose my phone?

When setting up Two-Factor Authentication in Accelo, you may have noticed that Step 3 lists instructions for using Recovery PINs. These are special codes you can use if you can't access the codes on your phone.

Please note that you can only use each recovery PIN once. You should re-generate fresh ones before they are all used up!

Disable Two-Factor Authentication

From your Two-Factor Authentication configuration screen in Accelo, at the bottom there is a button to "Remove Two-Factor Authentication."

Once disconnected, you will no longer be asked for a code when logging into Accelo. Please note that if you wish to re-enable Two-Factor Authentication,  the codes being generated on your phone will no longer be valid - you must re-authenticate your Accelo account in the Google Authenticator.