Skip to main content
All CollectionsMain pageAccount
Multi Factor Authentication
Multi Factor Authentication

Describes how to set up MFA on your account

Julien Benoit avatar
Written by Julien Benoit
Updated over a week ago

You will be able to find the Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) settings on the authentication page which is a sub page to the account page.

Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) requires entering a code received via your mobile device as well as your username and password, when logging on to Catenda Hub. When an organization requires MFA it's applied at a organization level. All projects belonging to that organization will then require MFA to access their projects. This will force all users to enable MFA to access projects belonging to that organization.

This page contains information about the following topics:

Enabling MFA

Log onto Catenda Hub and go to the Account page:

  1. Click on the Authentication tab:

  2. Scroll down to the section for MFA:

  3. Click on Enable MFA

Authentication app

You will need to install an authentication app that you trust on your mobile device.

We recommend the Google Authenticator and the Microsoft Authenticator but you can theoretically use any application that supports the connecting of MFA / Two factor authentication.

App permissions

In order for you to be able to scan the QR code with your camera you will have to give your authentication app permission to your camera.

When you install the application you might be asked if you want to give the camera permission only while using the app, ask every time or don't allow.
If you selected ask every time you will be asked for permission each time where you can say don't allow which turns off the permission for the app.

Google Authenticator

Click on the plus on the bottom right and Scan a QR code.

Here you will scan the QR code that the authentication page gives you.

Alternatively you can use your camera to scan the code and type in the setup key that you see in the URL that is opened.

Microsoft Authenticator

Make sure you are in the Authenticator menu on the bottom.

Note: make sure you are not in the Verified IDs menu as you can scan a qr code here but this will not work.

Next click on the plus in the blue bar on the top right.

Select Other account (Google, Facebook, etc.)

If your app does not have permission to your camera you may/may not be asked to give permission to your camera.

If your app has access to your camera you can scan the QR code that the authentication page gives you.

If your app does not have access to your camera you will be asked to manually create an account.

Account name: The name you give to your account
Secret key: This is the key you would have gotten if you had been able to scan the qr code.

You can use your camera app to scan the code.
The URL that opens when you scan the code can look something like this:
otpauth://totp/<Catenda account email address>?secret=<Secret key>&issuer=Catenda&algorithm=SHA1&digits=6&period=30

If you type in the code after "secret=" in the secret key that you see in the URL that is opened, Account name can be anything.

Note: If you create an account with the wrong secret key the app will generate one-time codes anyway so Catenda might not accept the code if the wrong secret key was used.

After successfully enabling MFA you will see this message.

Once enabled you will need to have your mobile device at hand every time you log onto Catenda Hub.

The MFA can be disabled again by clicking on Disable MFA.

Modifying MFA

After connecting an MFA code you can safely edit the account name of the code.

You can do so in the following ways:

Google authenticator

  1. Long press the code

  2. Click on the pencil on the top right to change the name.

Microsoft authenticator

  1. Click on the code.

  2. Click on the gear button on the top right

  3. Click on the pencil the change the name

Transferring MFA

It is only possible to use one device at a time. If you wish to start using a new device you can use the same MFA app on the new device and transfer the code from the old device.

Google authenticator

Old device:

  1. Tap on the hamburger menu top right

  2. Tap on Export accounts

  3. Select the accounts you wish to export

New device:

  1. Tap on the hamburger menu top right

  2. Tap on import accounts

  3. Tap on scan QR code

  4. Scan the QR code that is displayed on the old device when you went through the export process.


Microsoft authenticator

Old device:

  1. Tap the hamburger menu top right

  2. Turn on backup

New device:

  1. Install and open the Microsoft Authenticator app on your new device

  2. Tap "Begin Recovery."

Note: Do not set up any accounts using Microsoft Authenticator until after you have used the Recovery tool because it will overwrite matching site accounts.

Disabling MFA

You can disable MFA by clicking the disable button shown above, then entering your password to confirm. After disabling you no longer be able to access projects requiring MFA.

After disabling the code on Catenda Hub, the code will remain on the application that you connected with. This code will now be useless and can safely be deleted.

How to delete the old code:

Google authenticator

  1. Long press the code

  2. Click on the trashcan on the top right.

Microsoft authenticator

  1. Click on the code.

  2. Click on the gear button on the top right

  3. Click on remove account

MFA on non-mobile devices

Authenticator apps are more secure than SMS/Email code solutions as there is no communication that can be intercepted between the two systems after the original configuration.

While it is better to use an app on a mobile application, see note below, It is possible to get MFA codes on other systems than just mobile devices.

The recommended desktop application for this is Authy.

Functionally, these types of applications use the same TOTP protocol as the app on your mobile device and should be just as secure.

Note: Desktop apps can be less secure as they might be easier to hack or get access to. This is because desktop systems are often, if not always, connected to the local network which might be infected. Mobile devices that are not always connected to the network can therefore be harder to get into.

Who can enforce MFA on projects?

Enterprise customers can request an organization option to be turned on which makes it so that all users that are part of their projects have to use MFA to enter the project.

To enable MFA on your organization's projects, contact Catenda support. When MFA is required on an organization's projects you will see this message when attempting to open the project.

Did this answer your question?