FAQs for two-factor authentication

As a user of MYOB Advanced, you have the opportunity to use your software anywhere, anytime on any device. This flexibility helps you connect to your data whenever you need it. Keeping your data protected in this highly flexible environment is MYOB’s top priority. 

We’re committed to doing everything we can to prevent purposeful unauthorised access to your data by utilising best practice security measures. Often a password is where users are most vulnerable as there are increasingly sophisticated techniques to source or guess passwords and users sometimes share passwords across platforms for convenience.  

To protect your data even if your password is compromised, we’re implementing two-factor authentication into MYOB Advanced. By using two-factor authentication to log in, your data will be even safer with MYOB Advanced. 

Two-factor authentication quite simply means that you need to enter an additional verification code, over and above your username and password, when logging in to MYOB Advanced. This adds an additional level of security to protect your data even if your password may have been compromised.

Every user that log into MYOB Advanced will need to transition to two-factor authentication. This will not impact users who login to a portal associated to your MYOB Advanced instance, nor will it impact users logging in via the MYOB Advanced app. 

After the September 2018 upgrades to MYOB Advanced, users will start receiving notifications within the product encouraging them to transition to two-factor authentication. We would encourage all users to take this opportunity to register, which is a quick two-minute process, to increase the security of your solution as soon as possible.

After a period, sites will be moved into a mandatory registration phase. During this phase users will be given notification that they have two days to register, followed by a notification the next day to let them know they have one day to register. 

After that, the user will need to register for two-factor authentication to continue using MYOB Advanced. We urge you to avoid this situation and register early.

Companies will be phased into mandatory registration over a period with some companies starting the process in early October through to early December. Please contact your partner should you want to know when your company is scheduled for mandatory registration.

As it only takes two minutes to register, there’s no need to delay your transition to two-factor authentication. Please encourage all your users to sign up and register as soon as possible to avoid the need to go through the mandatory registration process. 

Upon return they will be required to register for two-factor authentication when they log in to MYOB Advanced.

Two-factor authentication is a standard approach to protecting systems from unauthorized access. In fact, you probably already use two-factor authentication for other apps or websites. Two-factor authentication is a key element of MYOB’s commitment to protect our clients which means every organisation will be required to take this new, more secure login process.

The second authentication code can be obtained either via an app on a device or it can be emailed to the user. Our recommendation is to use the app on the device, however, if a user does not have access to a device then the email option is available to them.

MYOB uses the Google Authenticator app for generating the second factor codes. This app is available for free for:

• At the App Store for Apple iOS devices 
• At the Play Store for Android devices

• At the Microsoft Store for Windows based devices

The Google Authenticator app is available at the relevant app store for your device, just search for Google Authenticator. The app is free to download and use.

Configuring the app is part of the steps in the registration process for two-factor authentication and will require you to scan a barcode. For more information on the process please refer to the video or step-by-step guide on two-factor authentication.

Signing up for two-factor authentication is a very quick and easy process consisting of:

• Entering a new secure password into the authentication service
• Configuring the second factor option you choose to use
• That’s it, you are done!

It only takes two minutes for a user to register.

If you use the same computer or device all the time, you do have an option to Trust this device for 30 days, in which case you will not need to enter a second authentication code for that period.

Once your site has been upgraded to 2018.1.2 in September, the login screen will have a second login button and you will receive prompts within the product encouraging you to sign up. Clicking on the option to sign up will start the registration process.

When you are first upgraded, just login the standard way using your existing MYOB Advanced username and password.

Once you have registered for two-factor authentication you can log in using the purple Sign in with Secure Authentication. 

At a future date we will remove the traditional login method leaving the Secure Authentication method as the only option for logging into the system.

No to worry, it’s hard to break habits! Once you have registered for two-factor authentication, if you log in using the traditional login option the system will pop up a message to let you know you should use the Secure Authentication method and direct you to the Secure Authentication login screen.

The two-factor authentication login process does require the user to use their email address as their username. If you are already using your email address as your login for MYOB Advanced, then you’ll have no need to change. If not, when you register for two-factor authentication you will need to use your email address as your username, and that will become what you use to login to MYOB Advanced. 

In short, no not at all. There is no impact to the user setup and configuration within MYOB Advanced. It does mean however, that your username and potentially your password will change when logging into MYOB Advanced via Secure Authentication.

No problem, there are still options around how you can login to your system.

As part of the registration process and setup of two-factor authentication (assuming you are using the Google Authenticator app) you have an option to download 10 one-time codes that you can use in the case of your device not being available. Just open the file with the codes and use one of the codes.

Again, not a problem. Browse to https://my.account.myob.com and login using your email address and password combination. Within this portal you can download additional one-time codes.

If you lose your device or replace your device, browse to https://my.account.myob.com, login with your email address and password combination, and follow the steps to Change your 2FA device

To change the method you use for two-factor authentication, browse to https://my.account.myob.com, login with your email address and password combination, and follow the steps to Switch to email / device authentication

To change your password for your Secure Authentication login browse to https://my.account.myob.com, login with your email address and password combination, and follow the steps to Change password.

Your email account becomes your username for logging in to the system. Each MYOB Advanced user will need to have their own unique email address.

“New login process required. You logged in using your previous Advanced credentials. Make sure to click “Sign in with Secure Authentication” for a more secure login process”

What does this mean? 

The message indicates that you have signed up for Secure Authentication but when you logged into MYOB Advanced, instead of selecting the purple button to login within Secure Authentication, you logged in the traditional way. 

Don’t worry, the system will direct you to the Secure Authentication login. To avoid the message coming up in future, use the purple button on the MYOB Advanced login screen to login.