MFA - Customer Documentation & Guide

Owned by Jonathan Lawrence
Last updated: Aug 21, 2024 by Lori Atkin
6 min read

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER – READ FIRST: WHEN REGISTERING MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION FOR THE FIRST TIME, PLEASE USE MICROSOFT AUTHENTICATOR AS YOUR AUTHENTICATION METHOD.

DO NOT REGISTER FOR MFA USING A NON-CANADIAN NUMBER AS YOUR FIRST OR ONLY AUTHENTICATION METHOD. THIS WILL MAKE YOU UNABLE TO CHANGE MFA SETTINGS WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN CANADA.

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Microsoft Authenticator

Disclaimer: These steps are to be followed if you have never set up MFA for Lambton College, or if a Lambton College Service Desk Technician has reset your MFA. If you already have a working authentication method and are adding another, please follow “Adding an additional authentication method” below.

  1. Install Microsoft Authenticator on your mobile device from your app store. The icon will look like this:

  2. After Authenticator is installed, go to https://mylambton.ca on your laptop or desktop and sign in with your username (c0######@mylambton.ca) and password. Follow the steps, pressing “Next” until you see a QR code.

  3. Using your phone and Microsoft Authenticator, press the “+” symbol, “Add work or school account”, then “Scan a QR code”, scanning the code on your laptop or desktop.

  4. After scanning, press “Next” on your laptop or desktop – it should display a two-digit code on your screen. Enter this code into Authenticator on your phone, then press “Next” and “Done” on your laptop/desktop.

Your MFA is now set up!

For additional reference, you may watch and follow along with this video:

Setting Up Multi-Factor Authentication on Your Lambton Account - Lambton College IT Service Desk

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Other Authentication Methods

Some users prefer alternative authentication methods, either because they already use another authenticator or due to difficulties using Microsoft Authenticator. Below are a couple of options for alternative authentication methods.

Google Authenticator

  1. Proceed with regular MFA setup as normal, but on the screen “Start by getting the app”, select “I want to use a different authenticator app”

  2. Press “Next” on your laptop or desktop; it should display a QR code.

  3. On your phone in Google Authenticator, add a new entry and select “Scan a QR code.” It should add a new entry to your Google Authenticator.

  4. Enter the 6-digit code from Google Authenticator as prompted.

  5. MFA is set up using Google Authenticator; press Done to finish.

Note: These steps should be comparable and should work for most trusted Authenticator apps, but beware of using non-trusted or third-party Authenticators.

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Phone Number

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT use this method unless you already have a working Canadian number or another working authentication app method.

  1. Press “Next” to get past the “More information required” page. On the screen to Keep your account secure, select “I want to set up a different method”

  2. Select “Phone” as the method to use.

  3. Enter your phone number.

  4. Press Next; your phone should receive a text message with a verification code to enter. Enter this code and proceed.

  5. MFA is now set up for use with your phone number.

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Adding an additional authentication method

These steps will only work if you have an existing, working authentication method. If you’ve kept your old device that is still able to authenticate, you can add a new authentication method by following these steps below:

  1. Go to http://office.com and sign in with your username and password.

  2. Click on your name in the top right and select “View account”

  3. This should open a new tab; select “Security info” on the left-hand side; this should prompt MFA on your old device. Approve any MFA prompts to proceed.

  4. Select “Add sign-in method”, from the list you can select several methods. To use Microsoft Authenticator on your new phone, select “Authenticator app” and then “Add”.

  5. Follow the regular MFA registration steps outlined above that you would have followed to set up your initial device.

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Common questions/problems

I deleted and reinstalled my Authenticator app, and now it isn’t working properly. What do I do?

I set up Authenticator on an old device that I no longer have access to or my phone was stolen.

Authentication was set up on my phone number from my home country and isn’t working in Canada.

In each of the above situations, you may use our MFA Reset Tool in order to clear old, non-functional authentication methods. Follow the instructions in this article: MFA - Self-Service Reset

Alternatively, you may contact the Lambton College IT Service Desk by phone at 226-776-3096, or email itservicedesk@lambtoncollege.ca. If emailing, make sure to use the same email you used to apply to Lambton College, or you will have to call us to verify your identity.

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I don’t have access to a laptop or desktop when setting up MFA.

You can set up Microsoft Authenticator even without using a laptop or desktop by following these steps:

  1. Make sure Microsoft Authenticator is already installed.

  2. Log in to mylambton.ca using your login credentials.

  3. Press next until you reach the screen “Set up your account” - click on a link that says “Pair your account to the app by clicking this link.” This will bring you to the Authenticator app, and you should see your Lambton College account populated.

  4. Switch apps on your phone to return to myLambton (do NOT sign in again - you want to pick up where you left off.)

  5. Press “Next” - This should send a notification to your phone to enter a two-digit code.

  6. If necessary, return to myLambton. It should say that the notification is approved; press “Next” and then “Done.” MFA is now registered!

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When I open Microsoft Authenticator, it says it is locked.

MS Authenticator has the option to utilize your phone lock to open the app. You’ll need to use your phone unlock PIN or biometrics (e.g. fingerprint) if you have that enabled.

This can be disabled after unlocking by going into Settings (press the three dots in the top right of the app, then Settings) – you can find “App Lock” there.

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I’m following the instructions for Microsoft Authenticator, but no notification is coming up.

There are a few reasons this may be happening – checking the following things should resolve most cases:

  1. Check your phone’s Do Not Disturb or Airplane mode settings and make sure these modes are disabled.

  2. Check your phone’s notification settings. Navigate to your phone’s Settings, and check the app-specific Notification settings for Authenticator and make sure they are all enabled.

  3. Check the notification settings in Authenticator. Press the three dots in the top right, select Settings, then Notification Settings. Make sure notification settings are enabled.

  4. Check your Internet connectivity – poor connection can sometimes cause disruptions in receiving notifications. If you are unable to move to a location with a better connection, select “I can’t use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now” and select the option to use a Verification code instead.  

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myLambton is telling me to select what account type I have, and my login credentials aren’t working.

Likely, you’ve accidentally navigated to myCareer rather than myLambton. Make sure you’re navigating directly to https://mylambton.ca.

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I can’t see the two-digit code Authenticator is telling me to enter/the number is blocked.

If the popup screen is blocking the two-digit code, select “I can’t see the number” - this should remove the popup for a brief period so you can see the code to enter it.

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