UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It happens. You left your smartphone at home, and now you can't use it to verify who you are to sign into your Penn State Account. But if you had a secondary device set up with multifactor authentication (MFA), such as an iPad or landline, you would be able to use those devices to sign into Penn State resources as usual.
While the use of Microsoft’s Authenticator app (available via the App Store for iOS devices or the Play Store for Android devices) via a smartphone device is the preferred MFA verification method, users should enroll more than one device to avoid difficulties authenticating in case their only enrolled device is forgotten, lost, not working, stolen or otherwise unavailable.
In addition to using the authenticator app on smartphones, other devices users can use to verify their identity for MFA are:
- An iPad or Android tablet with an operating system that supports the Microsoft Authenticator app. Note: Users can set up and use the Authenticator app on multiple devices simultaneously.
- A mobile cellphone (non-smartphone) that can either receive a text message with a verification code or a phone call.
- A landline to receive a phone call asking the user to press the pound (#) sign on their phone to verify their identity.
- A supported FIDO2 Security Key token that plugs into a USB port or connects using Bluetooth to verify a user's identity.
Enrolling more than one device for use with MFA is strongly encouraged. Without a backup, users will not easily be able to log into Penn State systems and services such as Outlook email, LionPATH, Canvas, Workday, or SIMBA if their only enrolled device or method is unavailable.
Even if users are using the Microsoft Authenticator app as their MFA method, it’s also a good idea to add their cellphone number as a secondary device as it can be particularly helpful if users get a new smartphone and need to use it to set up the app on their new cellphone.
MFA is a second form of authentication that helps to confirm a user's identity. Users should not provide the MFA code if they are not trying to log in to their account, even if they receive a notification. Penn State will never request a user's MFA code by phone, email or text.
Lost device? If a user loses a device that they use for MFA sign in, they should sign out from all their devices by going to the Security Info section of the My Sign-ins site and clicking on the “Sign out everywhere” link provided.
For instructions to register any of the secondary devices listed above, visit MFA: Add (Enroll) Another Device for Use with Multifactor Authentication (I'm Currently Enrolled) on the Penn State IT Knowledge Base.
For help, contact the IT Service Desk via chat, submit a Get Help Ticket, phone at 814-865-4357 (HELP), or email at ITservicedesk@psu.edu.