Action required: Enable multifactor authentication for your tenant by 15 October 2024

Question

Hello everybody!

We received e-mail:

.....

Starting 15 October 2024, we will require users to use multifactor authentication (MFA) to sign into the Azure portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center. To ensure your users maintain access, you’ll need to enable MFA by 15 October 2024.

.....

Documentation is long and unclear.

Till now I log in to Azure Portal with my e-mail, password and Google Authenticator app on my phone.

Should I tune something else in Azure Portal settings or this is enough and all is fine?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

If you're already using your email, password, and Google Authenticator for multifactor authentication (MFA) to sign into the Azure Portal, you're likely already compliant with the new requirements. However, it's good to double-check a few things to ensure everything will continue to work smoothly starting 15 October 2024.

Here are the steps to verify and ensure your MFA settings are correctly configured in the Azure Portal:

Sign into the Azure Portal: Go to Azure Portal and log in with your email and password.

Navigate to Azure Active Directory:

• On the left-hand menu, click on "Azure Active Directory."

Check MFA Status:

  - In the Azure Active Directory, select "Security" from the menu.
  
     - Click on "MFA" under the "Manage" section.
     
        - Verify that MFA is enabled for your account. If MFA is already enabled and configured with Google Authenticator, it should be listed here.
        
        **Review and Configure MFA Settings:**
        
           - Go to "Conditional Access" within the "Security" section.
           
              - Check if there are any specific Conditional Access policies requiring MFA. Ensure that your user account or group is included in the policy and that the required MFA method (like Google Authenticator) is configured.
              
              **Register Additional MFA Methods (Optional but Recommended):**
              
                 - To add more security and flexibility, you can register additional MFA methods, such as phone call, SMS, or other authenticator apps.
                 
                    - Navigate to "Security info" in your account settings:
                    
                          - Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner and select "View account."
                          
                                - Under "Security info," you can add additional methods.
                                
                                **Verify Compliance with Policies:**
                                
                                   - Ensure that any MFA requirements specified in the email or your organization’s policies are met.
                                   
                                      - Confirm that all users in your organization who need access to the Azure Portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center have MFA enabled.
                                      

If you follow these steps and verify that MFA is enabled and properly configured, you should be compliant with the new requirements starting 15 October 2024.

Summary

Since you are already using MFA with Google Authenticator, you should be mostly set. Just ensure that:

• MFA is indeed enabled in the Azure Portal settings.
• Your account and any other relevant accounts are covered by the necessary Conditional Access policies.
• Consider adding alternative MFA methods for added security and flexibility. If you're already using your email, password, and Google Authenticator for multifactor authentication (MFA) to sign into the Azure Portal, you're likely already compliant with the new requirements. However, it's good to double-check a few things to ensure everything will continue to work smoothly starting 15 October 2024. Here are the steps to verify and ensure your MFA settings are correctly configured in the Azure Portal: Sign into the Azure Portal: Go to Azure Portal and log in with your email and password. Navigate to Azure Active Directory:
  • On the left-hand menu, click on "Azure Active Directory."
  Check MFA Status:

    - In the Azure Active Directory, select "Security" from the menu.
  
       - Click on "MFA" under the "Manage" section.
  
          - Verify that MFA is enabled for your account. If MFA is already enabled and configured with Google Authenticator, it should be listed here.
  
          **Review and Configure MFA Settings:**
  
             - Go to "Conditional Access" within the "Security" section.
  
                - Check if there are any specific Conditional Access policies requiring MFA. Ensure that your user account or group is included in the policy and that the required MFA method (like Google Authenticator) is configured.
  
                **Register Additional MFA Methods (Optional but Recommended):**
  
                   - To add more security and flexibility, you can register additional MFA methods, such as phone call, SMS, or other authenticator apps.
  
                      - Navigate to "Security info" in your account settings:
  
                            - Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner and select "View account."
  
                                  - Under "Security info," you can add additional methods.
  
                                  **Verify Compliance with Policies:**
  
                                     - Ensure that any MFA requirements specified in the email or your organization’s policies are met.
  
                                        - Confirm that all users in your organization who need access to the Azure Portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center have MFA enabled.
  

If you follow these steps and verify that MFA is enabled and properly configured, you should be compliant with the new requirements starting 15 October 2024.

Summary

Since you are already using MFA with Google Authenticator, you should be mostly set. Just ensure that:

• MFA is indeed enabled in the Azure Portal settings.
• Your account and any other relevant accounts are covered by the necessary Conditional Access policies.
• Consider adding alternative MFA methods for added security and flexibility.

Answer 2

Hi @Petko Krushev (Concentrix Corporation) and thanks for the answer.

It looks like MFA setting requires Premium feature.

This is what I see in my account settings about MFA:

And this is in Entra ID Authentication methods:

What Google Authenticator method is?

Third-party software OATH tokens settings?

It's not configured in Entra ID, but is configured in my personal settings like Authentication app TOTP.