GM2

About 2-Step Verification

What is 2-Step Verification? With 2-step verification, you sign in to your Google account in 2 steps: something you know (ex: a password) and something you have (ex: a phone). You will be prompted to verify when logging in to your school-issued laptop or signing in to Google on a different device or browser.

Why is 2-Step Verification important? 2-step verification puts an extra barrier between the district and cybercriminals who steal usernames and passwords to access data. It is a crucial step to protect student and staff data.

Setting up 2-Step Verification

You can set up 2-step verification by opening Google Chrome and clicking your account in the top-right corner, as highlighted in the image below.

Once you've clicked your profile, a menu will open. Click "Manage your Google account".

It will open up your Google account page. Then, click on the "Security & sign-in" tab on the left side of the screen.

Once the "Security & sign-in" tab opens, scroll down to the "How you sign in to Google" section.

You should see a button called “2-Step Verification”. If this button has a green checkmark with the text “On since”, you already have 2-step verification and do not need to proceed further.

If you see “2-Step Verification is off”, like in the image below, then you should continue with this guide to enable 2-step.

You should now be at the 2-step verification page. You can choose from the options listed. 

• "Passkeys and security keys" refers to the Yubikeys we can give out. These would need to be inserted into a USB-C port on your computer each time you log in.
   
• The "Google prompt" option is when you sign in to your BCSC account using Gmail or another Google app on your phone.
   
• "Authenticator" requires an Authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator. It works like text messaging 2-step verification, but it doesn't require having internet or cell service and works totally offline. This is our recommended 2-step verification method.
   
• "Phone number" is the one-time code sent to you via text when you log in.

Select the 2-step verification option you want to use and follow the steps to set it up. After you've set up your 2-step verification method, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the blue "Turn on 2-Step Verification" button.

Once 2-step verification is turned on, you can leave the page by clicking the back arrow at the top. This will return you to the "Security and sign-in" page, where you can confirm whether 2-step verification is enabled by checking for a green checkmark and the "On since" text.

You have now successfully set up 2-step verification. If you need any further assistance, please feel free to put in a ticket.