Authentication - How to Register Okta Verify as a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Credential for Your Account

Objective

Following these steps will connect Okta Verify as a MFA credential to your account, allowing you to connect to resources that require MFA.

Environment

iOS
Android
Production

Before You Begin

These instructions presume that you have not attempted to log in to a service that requires MFA and were then prompted by that service to register a credential (EBS, for example). If you were prompted to Set up security methods, select Set up under Okta Verify, and then jump to step 7 in the list below and follow the instructions from there.

These instructions are meant for the Production environment (which is the default for publicly accessible resources). See the Additional Info section at the bottom of this article for information about the Qual and Test environments.

Steps

1. Navigate to auth.msu.edu (link)
2. Log in with your MSU NetID and password.
3. Select your name from the top-right corner of the screen and choose Settings from the drop-down menu that appears
4. Select the Set up button next to Okta Verify in the Security Methods section of the page
5. Enter your MSU NetID password and select Verify
6. Select Set up
7. A Set up Okta Verify screen should appear, with a QR code and instructions to download and install the Okta Verify app on your iPhone or Android device
8. On your phone:
   1. Download the Okta Verify mobile application from either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
   2. After downloading the Okta Verify app, open it and follow the prompts.
   3. Toward the end of the install it will have a prompt for you to select Add Account
   4. Then choose Organization for the account type
   5. Verify the QR code is still onscreen on your computer, then select Yes, Ready to Scan
      You may be prompted to allow Okta Verify access to your camera. This is necessary for it to scan the QR code.
   6. Center the QR code in the finder window on your phone to scan it
   7. We recommend allowing push notifications, if you are prompted to enable them. Select Allow and then choose Allow when it prompts if it can send you notifications.
   8. Some devices may allow use of Face ID, which you may enable or not based on your preference
9. You're done! Okta Verify should now be connected as a MFA credential for your account and you can now log in to resources that require MFA.
   You may need to select Back to sign in if you were prompted to Set up security methods and skipped to Step 7. Then you can log in again and it will recognize that now you have a MFA credential added.

Additional Info

It is also possible to register a phone number to receive MFA codes via SMS or voice call, or to register a biometric device to act as a MFA credential. Simply choose Set up next to either option and then follow the prompts.

Okta Verify App Help Pages (from help.okta.com)

• iOS Help (link)
• Android Help (link)

Instructions to Change App Notification Settings

• iOS Help (link)
• Android Help (link)

Non Production Environments

MFA is also used in the Test and Qual environments. Credentials are added the same way as above, which is for Production, with the following changes:

• You MUST be on the VPN using the Elevated access level; and
• The portal URLs are different (auth.msu.edu is the Production portal):
  • Qual: auth.qual.itservices.msu.edu (link)
  • Test: auth.test.itservices.msu.edu (link)