Changes to multifactor authentication login process - March 2023

As part of work to improve cyber security, we are making some minor changes to the login and multi-factor authentication (MFA) process on Tuesday, 14th March.

These changes are a necessary step to ensure the College complies with Microsoft’s updated security measures, which will be activated in the coming months.

This will result in some small visual changes to the login process on College services, as well as a slight change to notifications received on the Microsoft Authenticator App when logging in.

Sign-In Process

When logging in to some College Microsoft services (such as Office 365), you will be presented with the below screen.

To sign in, enter your university email address as normal and click on ‘Next’.

Enter your password and click ‘Sign in’.

MFA Process (Authenticator App Number Matching)

As part of the sign-in process, you may have to go through MFA, which will be the same unless you use the Microsoft Authenticator App.

Users who have MFA set up to send a text message or call their phone will see no change to their MFA process, but for extra security and ease-of-use we highly recommend setting up the Microsoft Authenticator App.

If you use the Authenticator App, the new method will prompt for a 2-digit number to be entered, which (if it is a valid request) will match the number on your login window:

This means there is an extra (albeit quick) step for all users of the Authenticator App that helps to ensure accounts are better protected from external threats.

Please Note: The new number-matching service is incompatible with smartwatches, so please ensure you have the app installed on your mobile device/smartphone.