Multi-factor authentication

Note: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) for endpoints, VPNs, and SSO require the Professional edition of ADSelfService Plus with Endpoint MFA.

ADSelfService Plus' MFA augments traditional username- and password-based authentication with an additional layer of authentication (e.g., biometrics, TOTP codes, or FIDO Passkeys) to verify a user's identity. MFA provides a high level of identity assurance for access requests.

You can enable MFA in ADSelfService Plus for the following events:

To enable MFA for these events, follow these steps:

  1. Configure the authentication methods you want to use for MFA.
  2. Enable the MFA methods you've configured for the required resources.

Please refer to the authenticators page for the list of supported authentication methods and how to configure them.

Combined with Conditional Access, MFA for Endpoints can be enabled only for high-risk users, ensuring high-risk actions stay secure while minimizing the impact on the user experience overall. To learn more about Conditional Access, click here.

  1. Go to Configuration > Self-Service > Policy Configuration, choose a policy of your choice, and click the Edit icon. You can also create a new policy by clicking the Add New Policy button.
  2. Policy configuration in ADSelfService Plus.

  3. Click the Select OUs/Groups button and select the specific set of users for whom you wish to enable MFA. Click OK.
  4. Tip:Select the Don't inherit child OU(s) option to only select the parent OUs.

    Configuring specific OUs for policies in ADSelfService Plus.

  5. Select the password self-service features (Reset Password, Unlock Account, Self Update, or Change Password) that you wish to enable for the selected users. Click Save Policy.
  6. Configured policies in ADSelfService Plus.

  7. Go to Configuration > Self-Service > Multi-factor Authentication > Authenticator Setup and select a policy from the Choose the Policy drop-down.
  8. Configure the authentication methods that you want to enable for the selected policy.
  9. Authenticators in ADSelfService Plus.

  10. Click Save.
  11. Tip: You can choose to configure different authentication methods for different sets of policies. For instance, if Policy 1 can enforce YubiKey Authentication, Policy 2 can enforce SAML Authentication, and so on.

Users must enroll themselves by providing the necessary information, as per the enabled authentication methods, to be able to prove their identity. For example, if you have enabled biometric authentication, users must scan their fingerprint or face using the ADSelfService Plus mobile app, only after which they will be able to use their biometrics during password reset or endpoint logins.

To force enrollment for specific authentication methods:

  1. Go to Configuration > Self-Service > Multi-factor Authentication > MFA Enrollment.
  2. Select Force users to enroll when they log in to the end-user portal option. This will prevent users from accessing other features in the self-service portal before entering their enrollment information.
  3. Select Enforce these authenticators during enrollment and choose the authenticators to be set as mandatory.
  4. MFA enrollment in ADSelfService Plus.

  5. You can also choose to hide the Enrollment tab in the end-user portal for enrolled users.
  6. Click Save Settings.

This table provides detailed information on each MFA type, including the supported authenticators and the settings and options available to improve the functionality and security of the authentication process.

MFA type Authentication methods supported Passwordless login Backup recovery codes CAPTCHA
MFA for self-service actions via the web portal All the authenticators supported by ADSelfService Plus Not applicable Supported Supported
Self-service actions from the GUI machine login screen for Windows, macOS, and Linux machines All the authenticators supported by ADSelfService Plus except FIDO Passkeys. Smart Card Authentication is not supported for macOS or Linux machines Not applicable Supported Supported
MFA for Windows, macOS, and Linux machine logins All the authenticators supported by ADSelfService Plus except FIDO Passkeys. Smart Card Authentication is not supported for macOS or Linux machines Not supported Supported Supported
Offline MFA for Windows and macOS logins
  1. Google Authenticator
  2. Microsoft Authenticator
  3. Custom TOTP Authenticator
  4. Zoho OneAuth TOTP Authenticator
Not applicable Not supported Not supported
MFA for OWA and the EAC All the authenticators supported by ADSelfService Plus Not applicable Supported Supported
MFA for RADIUS-based VPNs, RDP, and other endpoints via the VPN Client Verification option
  1. One-way authenticators
    • Push notification
    • Biometric Authentication
  2. Challenge-based authenticators
    • ADSelfService Plus (TOTP) authentication
    • Google Authenticator
    • Microsoft Authenticator
    • Yubico OTP (hardware key authentication)
    • Zoho OneAuth TOTP
    • Custom TOTP authentication
    • SMS-based and email-based verification code
Not applicable Supported*
(Backup codes can be used only for challenge-based authenticators)
Not applicable
MFA for RADIUS-based VPNs, RDP, and other endpoints via the Verify via Secure Link through Browser option All the authenticators supported by ADSelfService Plus Not applicable Supported Supported
MFA for cloud applications All the authenticators supported by ADSelfService Plus Supported Supported Supported
MFA for ADSelfService Plus logins All the authenticators supported by ADSelfService Plus Supported Supported Supported
MFA type Can an idle time limit be set? Can the browser or machine be trusted not to require MFA for a certain period? Restrict user logins and self-service actions for unenrolled users:
MFA for self-service actions Yes No Deny access to self-service actions when users are unenrolled. Partially-enrolled users can be forced to enroll for the remaining authenticators and proceed with self-service actions.
MFA for Windows, macOS, and Linux logins Yes Yes Deny or allow machine logins for unenrolled users, or enforce enrollment during login attempt.
MFA for Outlook on the web and EAC Yes Yes Access to OWA and Exchange logins is denied for unenrolled users by default.
MFA for RADIUS-based VPNs, RDP, and other endpoints via the VPN Client Verification option Yes*
(A session time limit is set to enforce users to complete authentication within the specified time.)
No Deny or allow logins for unenrolled users.
MFA for RADIUS-based VPNs, RDP, and other endpoints via the Secure Link Email Verification option Yes*
(An idle time limit is set to enforce users to complete authentication within the specified time, and it cannot be greater than the secure link's validity period.)
No Deny or allow logins for unenrolled users.
MFA for cloud applications Yes Yes Deny or allow cloud application logins for unenrolled users.
MFA for ADSelfService Plus logins Yes Yes Deny or allow ADSelfService Plus logins for unenrolled users.

* Users do not have to enroll for these methods because they are automatically enrolled upon logging in the first time.

+ These authenticators are native to the mobile app and cannot be used in the mobile browser portal.

Authenticators supported by the ADSelfService Plus mobile app and mobile browser portal

ADSelfService Plus offers 21 types of authenticators. Of these, eight basic authenticators are available with every edition of ADSelfService Plus. The other 13 are advanced authenticators, available only with the Professional edition of ADSelfService Plus.

This table provides detailed information on the basic and advanced authenticators supported for MFA in the ADSelfService Plus mobile app and mobile browser portal along with provisions for authenticator enrollment in the two consoles.

Authenticator Authenticator type Mobile browser portal Mobile app
Can users enroll in the authenticator in the mobile browser portal? Is the authenticator supported for MFA for ADSelfService Plus logins? Is the authenticator supported for MFA for self-service actions? Can users enroll in the authenticator in the mobile app? Is the authenticator supported for MFA for logins to the ADSelfService Plus Mobile App ? Is the authenticator supported for MFA for self-service actions?
Security Questions and Answers Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Email Verification Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SMS Verification Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Google Authenticator Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Microsoft Authenticator Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Duo Security Advanced authenticator Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radius Authentication Advanced authenticator No* Yes Yes No* Yes Yes
Push Notification Advanced authenticator No+ No+ No+ Yes No No
QR Code Based Authentication Advanced authenticator No+ No+ No+ Yes No No
Biometric Authentication Advanced authenticator No+ No+ No+ Yes Yes Yes
TOTP Authentication (Using ADSelfService Plus Mobile app) Advanced authenticator No+ No+ No+ Yes No No
AD Security Questions Basic No* Yes Yes No* Yes Yes
Zoho OneAuth TOTP Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Custom TOTP authenticator (Hardware Token) Basic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Custom TOTP authenticator (Software Token) Advanced authenticator Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Smart Card Authentication Advanced authenticator No* No No No* No No
SAML Authentication Advanced authenticator No* Yes Yes No* Yes Yes
YubiKey Authenticator Advanced authenticator Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Azure AD MFA Advanced authenticator No* Yes Yes No* Yes Yes
RSA SecurID Advanced authenticator No* Yes Yes No* Yes Yes
FIDO Passkeys Advanced authenticator Yes Yes Yes Yes No No

* Users do not have to enroll for these methods because they are automatically enrolled upon logging in the first time.

+ These authenticators are native to the mobile app and cannot be used in the mobile browser portal.

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