July 2019 Newsletter
Summary
Search.gov will be introducing multi-factor authentication in the fall
Multi-factor Authentication
Search.gov will be integrating with Login.gov
In early Fall, we will be introducing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to make our system as secure as possible for our customers and their sites, through an integration with Login.gov. This means you will need to provide secondary identification along with your username and password in order to access the Search.gov system.
What does this mean for you and your team?
Two things of note!
All data associated with your Search.gov account will remain the same, only the authentication interface will be changing. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to create an account with Login.gov for the email address you use with Search.gov, establishing a password and a second factor of identification. Second factors include:
- Phone: Get one-time-use security codes via SMS message or phone call.
- Authentication application: Set up an authentication application on your mobile device or computer to get your security code without providing a phone number.
- Security key: Use a hardware security key to access your account.
- PIV/CAC cards: Log in using your PIV/CAC card and PIN.
- Backup Codes: Receive a pre-generated list of security codes to use when signing in.
- Web Authentication (WebAuthn): Use your device’s biometric hardware (e.g. fingerprint reader) or FIDO security keys.
All use of the system will need to be done on individual user accounts, not team accounts. If your agency leverages a team email address to access Search.gov, you need all users to register individual emails: multi-factor authentication allows only one user per email.
Webinar Recording
Intro to Search.gov
If you missed our most recent webinar, Introduction to Search, you can catch up by watching the recording.
Release Notes
Want to learn about the latest features, fixes, and focuses of the Search team? We post monthly Release Notes on our website.