Two Factor Authentication (2FA) for End Users Office 365

Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is an extra layer of security to make sure a person trying to access an account is who they say they are. A password is ‘something you know’, but also something that other persons may know or discover. Without 2FA enabled on your Office 365 mailbox, anyone who has knowledge of your username and password would be able to access and misuse your mailbox identity. We recommend every customer to enable this, send us an e-mail on support@kamit.no and we will set it up for you and your employees.

To gain access to a 2FA enabled resource you need your password and a second piece of evidence to prove your identity, either ‘something you have’ (such as a secure token or key card) or ‘something you are’ (such as your fingerprint, iris or your voice). With 2FA enabled on your Office 365 mailbox, knowledge of your username and password alone (be that accidental or deliberate) would not be enough to access your mail.

The steps below installs a 6 digit random number generator to your mobile phone (‘something you have’), and which changes every 30 seconds. Log in to your 2FA enabled Office 365 mailbox would then require both your username and password and this constantly changing 6 digit code.

How do I enable Office 365 2FA on my user account?

You can use the instructions below to enable Office 365 two factor authorization (2FA) and how to use the Microsoft Authenticator App for 2FA.

You will need your:

Company Email Address	name@company.no
Password	Login password for your Office 365 mailbox
Computer	to access your Office 365 mailbox via a web browser
Mobile phone	to host the Authenticator app, and a mobile phone number for additional security purposes

These instructions take you through the following steps, it is important that all these steps are followed.

Step 1 – Download Microsoft Authenticator app to your mobile device

Step 2 – Access Office 365 user account online

Step 3 – Configure the Microsoft Authenticator App

Step 4 – Save Microsoft Authenticator App Password

Step 5 – Login to Office 365 account using 2FA

You can download an PDF full guide here: http://kamit.no/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2FA-Office-365-guide.pdf

Questions provide additional information and how to sort out things when they go wrong.

Questions

Will I need to use 2FA every time I open Outlook?

No, if you are opening the Outlook application on your computer. However, you will need to add the Authenticator App Password, saved in step 4 – #13, the first time you use Outlook.

Yes, if you open Outlook through a browser. You will need to use the app to authenticate your login credentials.

Why did I need to save the app password?

Some applications which use 2FA need the Authenticator app password to function. Outlook on your pc or mobile device will ask you to enter the Authenticator App password the first time you use it.

This connects the MFA account to your Outlook account and know when to prompt for 2FA verification codes using the Authenticator App.

This will only be asked for once, if it is successful.

I have forgotten to take a note of the Authenticator App Password?

If you have forgotten to take a note of this during setup, or otherwise it does not work, you can generate a new password with the following steps:

Navigate to https://www.office.com/ in any browser
Sign in with your email and Windows password when prompted, enter your code from your authenticator if required.
Top right corner, click your initials, this will open a menu; select ‘My Account’
Opens to a page with a blue context menu; to the left hand side, click ‘Security and Privacy‘
Then ‘Additional security’ and then ‘App password’ (the bottom choice)
Click create and name it something like ‘New app password for Outlook’
This will then present a new code to you on screen. Copy this password, open notepad, paste the password to notepad and save it to your desktop, or copy then paste directly into Outlook password request box.
You will need to manually add the password into your Mobile Outlook app, if receiving emails on your phone.