Adding Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to a VU Google Account

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Sept 26, 2024 by Jessica Wilson
2 min read

Per official policy as laid out by the Office of Information Technology, users that hold Google accounts under the valpo.edu domain will be required to configure a two-step verification process in order to adhere to the new standard for best-practices on the cybersecurity front.  With multi-factor authentication (also known as MFA or two-step verification), you add an extra layer of security to your account in case your password is stolen.  This article is intended to provide step-by-step instructions to successfully configure the MFA security settings to align with our official data security policies.

Turn on Google MFA

  1. Open your Google Account.
  2. In the navigation panel, select Security.
  3. Under “How you sign in to Google,” select 2-Step Verification and then 2-Step Verification is off.
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts.
  5. After validating your phone number or configuring a device or key, complete the process by clicking 'TURN ON' when prompted. 
  6. To confirm that MFA is enabled, select Security and then look under How you sign in to Google.  You should now see a green check mark next to 2-Step Verification


Alternate MFA Methods

You will need a phone to set up 2-Step Verification at first. However, if you would like to set up a secondary authentication method, you can do so from the same Security menu where you initially set-up MFA. Here are some alternatives:

Troubleshooting

If you run into issues during the configuration process, please reference the Google Help Center link for this subject. 

If your phone or authentication device is lost or stolen, you should immediately attempt the following:

  1. Go to your Google Account from another trusted device.
  2. On the left navigation panel, select Security.
  3. On the Your devices panel, select Manage devices.
  4. Select the device and then Sign out.


For more detailed instructions, visit this Google Help Center page: Sign out of the lost or stolen phone

Lost or Stolen Devices

If you have no other way of signing-in to your Google account due to a lost/stolen device, then the IT Help Desk should be contacted to route your request to our Google Accounts team.  The Help Desk Staff can be reached via e-mail (helpdesk@valpo.edu), by phone (219-464-5678), or in-person at the IT Help Desk located on the ground floor of the Christopher Center. Please not that in order to assist you, you will be required to provide proof of identity (state ID or Passport) in order for them to assist further. Since MFA is a security function meant as a second line of defense to protect your account, we must ensure that identity can be verified. NO EXPECTIONS.


** Please note that the configuration for the Valpo VPN multi-factor authentication is separate from this two-factor configuration for your Google Account.**

  • If the device with the VPN MFA configuration is incapacitated, then you will need to unbind the device and reconfigure the MFA setup on a separate device using the steps located in this article.


For additional assistance, contact the IT Help Desk.