Setup the Microsoft Authenticator App with Microsoft 365
We are strongly advising our clients to move over to Multi Form Factor authentication (MFA) to secure their Microsoft 365 services. Brute force login attacks are on the increase and having a strong password is just not enough these days.
First of all, you need to download the Microsoft Authenticator App to your mobile device and you can find instructions from the following link:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/mobile-authenticator-app
Once done we need to setup the Authenticator app within Office.
Sign into your account by going to outlook.office.com and logging in with your usual details.
- Once logged in, please click your initials in the top right corner, and click on ‘View account’
2. You should now have a menu down the left-hand side of the screen. Click on ‘Security info’. Once here, click on the ‘+ Add method’ button and select Authenticator app.
3. Click next through the options until you see a QR code to scan. We will need this later.
Configuring Microsoft Authenticator Mobile app
- Find and open the Microsoft Authenticator application that you installed previously. Click on add an account and then click scan a QR code. You can then hold the camera up to the QR code you receieved on your PC.
- Once you have scanned the QR code, click next through all the options on the PC. You should now see the email account appear within the app. On the PC, click next throughout the options and you will now have Microsoft Authenticator appear under methods.
3. Above the Microsoft Authenticator method we have added, click on set default sign-in method and change this to the bottom option to Microsoft Authencicator – notification if you want notifications each time or Microsoft Authenticator app or hardware token – code if you want traditional one time codes, then press confirm.
Authenticator Setup Completed
Microsoft Authenticator is now setup, and your email account is linked to your phone. Shortly, you will be prompted to enter a code. This will happen for all Microsoft apps that you have such as Outlook and MS Teams.
To get this code, open up your Microsoft Authenticator app on your phone and click on the account you added. You will see a 6-digit code, this refreshes and changes every 30 seconds
Once you have entered this code, your device should remember it so that you do not have to enter it everytime you go to log in. However, accessing your accounts from a different device will require you to enter a new code. This helps to stop attackers from gaining access to your account, as not only do they now need the password, but they also need the code from your phone!
