Biometrics, the use of your finger print or facial image, is a security feature that uniquely identifies you and can be used as an additional "factor" to identify you when logging in to Bowdoin websites or services. There are several steps involved in order to enable the use of biometrics, however in the long-run, doing so can allow for faster and more secure logins.
Factor - An authentication factor is a special category of security credential that is used to verify the identity and authorization of a user attempting to gain access, send communications, or request data from a secured network, system or application. Examples of factors include finger print, challenge SMS with a code, challenge email with a code, DUO, etc.
There are three steps to setting up biometrics as a factor for authentication.
- Setup biometrics in the operating system of your device. This would be Touch ID for macOS, Face ID for iOS/iPadOS, and facial recognition for Windows Hello.
- Configure biometric authenticators in Okta.
- Enable the Okta setting within your web browser to use the biometric factor.
1. Setup biometrics for your device
Instructions on setting up Touc ID for macOS can be found in Apple's macOS User Guide.
2. Configure biometric authenticator in Okta
Once you have your biometrics setup for your device, follow these steps to enable that biometric for use in Okta.
- Log in to your Okta account at https://login.bowdoin.edu
- Once logged in, click your name in the upper-right corner and then choose Settings from the drop-down.
- Scroll down the page until you get to the "Extra Verification" box.
Note: If you are not able to edit the details, scroll back to the top of the page and click Edit Profile. Follow the prompts to log in again in order to edit your factors.
- Next to "Security Key or Biometric Authenticator", click Set up or Setup Another (if adding an additional biometric option)
- Sign in again, if asked.
- On the "Set up multifactor authentication" screen, click Setup
- On the "Set up security key or biometric authenticator" screen, click Enroll.
- Use your Touch ID or biometric factor setup on your device to save the passkey, when asked.
- When you're back at your Okta profile, scroll down and you will now see options to remove a biometric factor or setup another one.
3. Enable Okta setting in the web browser to use the new biometric option
Not all web browsers or services can use the biometric option. For example, Safari and Edge web browsers in macOS can leverage the use of TouchID. Firefox and Chrome do not, so a different factor such as Okta Verify will continue to be used.
These steps will walk you through using TouchID in Safari on a Mac, but iOS or Windows can use similar steps once factors are configured.
- Open Safari in macOS. If you've logged in to a Bowdoin service recently, you might want to use a private window. (Click on File - New Private Window).
- Navigate to https://login.bowdoin.edu
- Enter your Bowdoin email address and password
- If not prompted right away to use your new biometric factor, click the drop-down arrow next to the factor name
- Choose "Security Key or Biometric Authenticator"
- Click Verify
- Use your Touch ID to sign in to the website using the saved passkey for your Bowdoin account.