Two-factor authentication (2FA) asks for a second confirmation, on top of the password, when someone signs in to Kinderpedia: a code received by email or a code generated by an authenticator app on the phone. Even if someone finds out the password, they cannot get into the account without the second code.
There are two levels of settings:
for your own account: every user can turn on 2FA for themselves (section 1);
for the whole school: school managers decide, for each role, whether 2FA is required and how long a session lasts (section 2).
Contents
1. How do I turn on two-factor authentication for my account?
Center Management › My Account › Account Info
In the left menu, open Center Management › My Account. You can also get there from the top right corner: click your account name and choose My Account. Then click the Account Info tab.
At the bottom of the form you have two options:
2FA: each time you sign in, from a browser or from the mobile app, you receive a security code at the email address linked to your Kinderpedia account.
Enable 2FA via the authenticator app: the codes are generated by an authenticator app installed on your phone.
Turn on the option you want and click Save.
If you chose 2FA by email, the Activate 2FA window opens. Enter the code you received by email in the Insert the code received by email field and click Save.
If you chose the authenticator app, first install an authenticator app on your phone, then follow the steps shown on screen.
Tip: use an email address you check often. Without the code received by email, you cannot sign in.
2. How do I set the two-factor authentication rules for my school?
Center Management › Security
In the left menu, open Center Management › Security. Here you set the rules separately for each role: School managers (administrators with access to the whole school account), Teachers and Parents.
As long as you have not saved any rule, the page shows the message Not set up yet — nothing is being enforced: nobody is asked for a second confirmation and nobody is signed out.
Important! These rules apply to the web app only. In the mobile apps, users confirm who they are with biometrics, and the settings here do not change that.
Each role has the following settings:
Two-factor authentication switch: the main switch for the role. When it is on, members of the role are asked to set up two-factor authentication and the other settings apply. When it is Off, nothing applies. The settings stay saved but have no effect.
Setup: with Required, members of the role must set up two-factor authentication before they can carry on. With Optional, they are invited to turn it on, but they decide.
Ask again after dismissing: after how many days the invitation shows up again for those who dismissed it. It applies only when Setup is Optional. Default: 8 days.
Force sign-in again: when it is on, the session ends after the number of days below and the person has to sign in again. Turning this option on also turns on two-factor authentication for the role. It applies to the web only: the mobile apps never sign anyone out for this reason.
Force sign-in after: how many days a web session lasts. After this number of days, users are signed out and sign in again, with the second factor if they have set it up. The values shown by default are 7 days for school managers, 14 for teachers and 30 for parents.
When you have set up the roles you want, click Save at the bottom of the page.
Important! If you choose Required, members of the role cannot carry on in the web app until they set up two-factor authentication. Let them know before you save.
Tip: hover over the ⓘ icon next to each setting to see what it does.
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