Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), sometimes referred to as Two-Factor Authentication or 2FA, is a system that requires you to enter multiple credentials before confirming your identity and granting you access. Setting up Multi-factor Authentication adds an additional layer of security to your account, beyond passwords. Once enabled, you’ll be required to provide both your password and MFA code before accessing your CATS account.

To set up your multi-factor authentication, click your user icon in the top right corner and select My Profile. From here, click the toggle to turn on MFA:

This will begin the process of verifying your phone number. Once you've started this process, don't close or navigate away from this page until the entire process is complete. 

In this window that appears, enter your mobile phone number and click the Send Verification Code button:

Once you receive this code enter it in the Verification Code field:

This will bring up a new window that displays a QR code. From here, you'll need to open the authenticator app on your mobile phone. 

Note: You can use the authenticator app of your choice. However, the example and instructions below use Google Authenticator. Examples of some other MFA apps include: LastPass Authenticator, Authy, and Microsoft Authenticator

Click the button to add and then select the "scan a QR code" from the options that pop up:

This will open your mobile phone camera and allow you to scan a code. Point it at the Enable Multi-factor Authentication window on your CATS screen and center it on the square black and white Barcode. The example below is redacted, so it will look different on your CATS screen:

This will add a CATS entry to your Google Authenticator app. The code will have 2 sets of 3 numbers each and will look similar to this:

This is the code you will then need to enter in the Enable Multi-factor Authentication window, under the barcode in the Authenticator Code field:

This will complete the MFA setup process. The code you would need to log in going forward would be in your authenticator app, each time. These codes reset after a short amount of time. You'll see them displayed on the screen in blue when they're safe to enter. If they turn red, you might want to wait until the code refreshes again before starting to enter or you may run out of time.