TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION - USER GUIDE

TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION (OR 2FA) IS A TWO STEP VERIFICATION PROCESS THAT PROVIDES AN
EXTRA LAYER OF SECURITY FOR YOU WHEN ACCESSING YOUR ACCOUNT WITHIN ONLINE SERVICES.
The benefits of 2FA are a higher level of protection for your Online Services account and the data held within it. This is because 2FA reduces
the risk of an intruder gaining access to it.

2FA is free and Nominet has used RFC 6238 for implementing 2FA which is based on time based passcodes.

CONTENT
1 . INSTRUC TIONS

SIGN UP TO 2FA

SE T TING UP YOUR ACCOUNT IN GOOGLE AUTHENTIC ATOR

LOG IN TO ONLINE SERVICES USING 2FA

ADD A NE W DE VICE

DELE TE A DE VICE

2. FREQUENTLY A SKED QUESTIONS

3. TROUBLESHOOTING

4. GLOSSARY
SIGN UP TO THE TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION SERVICE
BEFORE YOU START GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR ONLINE SERVICES

You need to decide which device you will use to We recommend that you start by downloading
generate your 2FA. The Google Authenticator is Google Authenticator on your chosen device:
widely used and recommended by Nominet. • Open the relevant app store
Another frequently used application is Authy apps. • Search for and download Google Authenticator. If you
are using a Windows phone, search for ‘Authenticator’
* If you do not see this message, go to ‘Login settings’ in Online
The device could be a smartphone, tablet, laptop or Services and select Two-Factor Authentication – ‘Add/manage

PC. Step 1 – Introducing 2FA

Click Yes to set up 2 Factor Authentication on your account
The following steps in this user guide walk you
through the Google Authenticator process.
Step 2 – Download Google Authenticator app or plugin
We advise you to set your device to Automatic You should now have a Google Authenticator app or plugin on
Time Updates if available. You can usually find your chosen device
this option under ‘Settings / Date & Time’.
Open Google Authenticator Step 3 – Device set up
Go to
• Enter ‘account’ name - we suggest Nominet Online Services your device • Your 2FA set-up key is generated: e.g. 12345C7891B3456A
• Enter the set up key from Online Services

CLICK HERE to see an example • Name your device so you can easily identify it within Online
OR Services later e.g. Richard’s smartphone
• Click next
Scan the QR code from Online Services
The account will be set up as Nominet Online Services

Step 4 – Complete 2FA set-up

Get your passcode
You will be prompted to enter your 6 digit passcode....
• Open Google Authenticator and select the Nominet account
Your one-time passcode is displayed: e.g. 123456
Enter your 6 digit passcode e.g. 123456 & click ‘Activate 2FA’

Welcome to Online Services

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SETTING UP YOUR ACCOUNT IN GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR
GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR Google Authenticator will now generate
a new 6 digit passcode every 30 seconds.

Use this to complete your 2FA set up

Enter a name for your account. process and when you log in to Online
Services in future
We suggest Nominet Online Services
so you can easily find us again.

Enter the 16 character set up key which

has been generated in Online Services

Select ‘Done’

Alternatively you can scan the QR code

from Online Services into your device.
TIP
The account name will automatically We advise you to set your device to
be set up as Nominet Online Services Automatic Time Updates.
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LOG IN TO ONLINE SERVICES USING TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
Use this process whenever you log into Online Services in future.

START HERE ONLINE SERVICES

GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR

Enter you email and password

Click to log in

Get your passcode

Go to your device You will be prompted to enter your 6
• Open Google Authenticator and select digit 2FA passcode
the Nominet account
Go to Online Services

Your one-time passcode is displayed: e.g. 123456

Enter 2FA passcode:
e.g. 123456

Welcome to Online Services

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ADD A NEW DEVICE
BEFORE YOU START GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR ONLINE SERVICES

You need to know which device you plan We recommend that you start by downloading Login to Online Services using
to add. Google Authenticator on your chosen device: Go to 2 Factor Authentication
online
services
• Open the relevant app store
The device could be a smartphone, tablet, laptop or • Search for and download Google Authenticator. If you
PC. are using a Windows phone, search for ‘Authenticator’
Go to ‘Login Settings’

The following steps walk you through the Google

Authenticator process. Select ‘Manage 2 Factor
Authentication devices’

Select ’Add/manage devices’

Open Google Authenticator Step 3 – Device set up

Go to
• Enter ‘account’ name - we suggest Nominet Online Services your device • Your 2FA set-up key is generated: e.g. 12345C7891B3456A
• Enter the set up key from Online Services

TIP CLICK HERE to see an example • Name your device so you can easily identify it within Online
OR Services later e.g. Richard’s smartphone
To replace a device simply follow the
steps for: • Click next
Scan the QR code from Online Services
a) Delete a device The account will be set up as Nominet Online Services
b) Add a new device

Step 4 – Complete 2FA set-up

Get your passcode
You will be prompted to enter your 6 digit passcode....
• Open Google Authenticator and select the Nominet account
Your one-time passcode is displayed: e.g. 123456
Enter your 6 digit passcode e.g. 123456 & click ‘Activate 2FA’

BACK TO CONTENTS Welcome to Online Services

DELETE A DEVICE
ONLINE SERVICES

Log in to Online Services using 2 Factor

Authentication

Go to ‘Login settings’

Select ‘Manage 2 Factor

Authentication devices’

Select ‘Delete device’

TIP Select the device to be deleted

e.g.: John’s smartphone
To replace a device simply follow the
steps for:

a) Delete a device Click delete button and confirm

b) Add a new device

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• How many devices can I set up per Online Services contact?
The recommended way of managing access to Online Services is that contact logins are used by a single user only.
A single user should find 5 devices sufficient for the 2FA login process.

• If I have set-up more than one device, which one do I use to generate my 6 digit passcode?
You can use any of the devices associated with your contact login. The app on each one will generate a unique and valid 6 digit code for
you to input into Online Services when you log in.

• I have more than one contact login – can I set up 2FA across all my logins using the same device?
Yes, you can use the same device for multiple contact logins. Make sure you name each account name within Google Authenticator or
Authy app something to help you identify the login it applies to, e.g. ‘Nominet OS [email protected]’.

• What will happen if I have a passphrase already?

The passphrase will be removed as having a password and 2FA is sufficient security.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• What is RFC 6238?
RFC 6238 is a standard for implementing two factor authentication. Online Services should work with apps using this implementation. Nominet
has successfully tested the Google Authenticator app and Authy app and are therefore recommended to users.

• There are many third party implementations of Google Authenticator, including applications for PalmOS, Chrome OS and Java. If you can
successfully get the app to work with Online Services then it is fine for you to use it. However Nominet advisors cannot provide any support for
these implementations and we cannot vouch for their security.

• How often will I have to input a 2FA passcode?

You will need to input a 6 digit passcode every time you login to Online Services

• How do I set it up?

Logon to Online Services and go to ‘Login settings’ and ‘Manage 2FA’ from within Online Services. The instructions explain the set up processes.

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TROUBLESHOOTING
• I get an error when inputting my 16 digit set up key
Please check that the characters have been inputted correctly. The 16 digit setup key will not contain the number zero ‘0’ or the number one ‘1’. If
you are still having difficulties please contact our Customer Service team on +44 (0)1865 332233 or by emailing [email protected].

• I’ve got a message that my account is locked

If you enter the wrong passcode 8 times you will be locked out of your account. If this happens you will need to vailidate your identity with our
Customer Service team on +44 (0)1865 332233 or by emailing [email protected].

If anyone else uses the same contact email as you for Online Services, they may have been locked out of the account without your knowledge. An
email confirming this will have been sent to the email address used for the account.

• My 2FA passcode doesn’t work when logging in

The 2FA passcode is time sensitive so it could be a time related issue. Ensure you are reading the passcode and immediately entering it into Online
Services. Check that the date and time on your device are correct. You should also ensure you are using the correct timezone on your device for
where you are situated. It is recommended that your device is set to update the date, time & timezone automatically if this feature is available. If
you have multiple contact logins you need to make sure the 2FA passcode is the correct one for the contact login you are using. If anyone else uses
the same contact email as you for Online Services, they may have been locked out of the account without your knowledge. An email confirming
this will have been sent to the email address used for the account.

If you are still having difficulties please contact our Customer Service team on +44 (0)1865 332233 or by emailing [email protected].

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TROUBLESHOOTING
• What happens if I have lost the device with 2FA installed?
If you have another device associated with your contact login then you should:

1. Login to Online Services using the other device

2. Go to ‘Login Settings’ and ‘Manage 2 factor authentication devices’
3. Delete the device that has been lost
4. If you don’t have another device associated with your contact login then you will need to contact our Customer Service team on +44 (0)1865 332233
or by emailing [email protected].

Once we are able to verify your identity we will delete the lost device from your contact login for you.

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GLOSSARY
2FA or Two Factor Authentication
2FA is a two step verification process which provides an extra layer of security for you when accessing your account within Online Services

2FA passcode
A time-limited 6 digit code generated by the Google Authenticator app or plugin and which is needed alongside your username and password each time you log
into Online Services if you have signed up for the 2FA service. The Google Authenticator app or plugin generates a new, unique passcode every 30 seconds.

2FA set-up key

Referred to as the ‘secret key’ in Google Authenticator, this 16 character code links the device which hosts your 2FA app or plugin with Online Services.

Contact email
The email address you use to log into Online Services

Google Authenticator
The 2FA app or plugin that is used to implement 2FA within Nominet Online Services

Password
The password you use to log into Online Services

Passphrase
The additional passphrase you may have set up (that you use) to log into Online Services once you have entered your username and password.
The passphrase provides an additional layer of security when logging into Online Services, but 2FA improves on this by requiring the user to generate a passcode
on a separate device.

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