Two-step verification

This section describes how you can use two-step verification to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to Administration Console or Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console.

Scenario: configuring two-step verification for all users

This scenario describes how to enable two-step verification for all users and how to exclude user accounts from two-step verification. If you did not enable two-step verification for your account before you enable it for other users, the application opens the window for enabling two-step verification for your account, first. This scenario also describes how to enable two-step verification for your own account.

If you enabled two-step verification for your account, you may proceed to the stage of enabling of two-step verification for all users.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

• Make sure that your user account has the Modify object ACLs right of the General features: User permissions functional area for modifying security settings for other users' accounts.
• Make sure that the other users of Administration Server install an authenticator application on their devices.

Stages

Enabling two-step verification for all users proceeds in stages:

1. Installing an authenticator application on a device

   You can install Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or any other authenticator application that supports the Time-based One-time Password algorithm.

2. Synchronizing the authenticator application time with the time of the device on which Administration Server is installed

   Ensure that the time set in the authenticator application is synchronized with the time of Administration Server.

3. Enabling two-step verification for your account and receiving the secret key for your account

   How-to instructions:

   • For MMC-based Administration Console: Enabling two-step verification for your own account
   • For Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console: Enabling two-step verification for your own account

   After you enable two-step verification for your account, you can enable two-step verification for all users.

4. Enabling two-step verification for all users

   Users with two-step verification enabled must use it to log in to Administration Server.

   How-to instructions:

   • For MMC-based Administration Console: Enabling two-step verification for all users
   • For Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console: Enabling two-step verification for all users
5. Editing the name of a security code issuer

   If you have several Administration Servers with similar names, you may have to change the security code issuer names for better recognition of different Administration Servers.

   How-to instructions:

   • For MMC-based Administration Console: Editing the name of a security code issuer
   • For Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console: Editing the name of a security code issuer
6. Excluding user accounts for which you do not need to enable two-step verification

   If required, you can exclude users from two-step verification. Users with excluded accounts do not have to use two-step verification to log in to Administration Server.

   How-to instructions:

   • For MMC-based Administration Console: Excluding accounts from two-step verification
   • For Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console: Excluding accounts from two-step verification

Results

Upon completion of this scenario:

• Two-step verification is enabled for your account.
• Two-step verification is enabled for all user accounts of the Administration Server, except for user accounts that were excluded.

About two-step verification

Kaspersky Security Center provides two-step verification for users of Administration Console or Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console. When two-step verification is enabled for your own account, every time you log in to Administration Console or Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console, you enter your user name, password, and an additional single-use security code. If you use domain authentication for your account, you only have to enter an additional single-use security code. To receive a single-use security code, you must have an authenticator application on your computer or your mobile device.

A security code has an identifier referred to as issuer name. The security code issuer name is used as an identifier of the Administration Server in the authenticator application. You can change the name of the security code issuer name. The security code issuer name has a default value that is the same as the name of the Administration Server. The issuer name is used as an identifier of the Administration Server in the authenticator application. If you change the security code issuer name, you must issue a new secret key and pass it to the authenticator application. A security code is single-use and valid for up to 90 seconds (the exact time may vary).

Any user for whom two-step verification is enabled can reissue his or her own secret key. When a user authenticates with the reissued secret key and uses it for logging in, Administration Server saves the new secret key for the user account. If the user enters the new secret key incorrectly, Administration Server does not save the new secret key and leaves the current secret key valid for the further authentication.

Any authentication software that supports the Time-based One-time Password algorithm (TOTP) can be used as an authenticator application, for example, Google Authenticator. In order to generate the security code, you must synchronize the time set in the authenticator application with the time set for Administration Server.

An authenticator application generates the security code as follows:

1. Administration Server generates a special secret key and QR code.
2. You pass the generated secret key or QR code to the authenticator application.
3. The authenticator application generates a single-use security code that you pass to the authentication window of Administration Server.

We highly recommend that you install an authenticator application on more than one device. Save the secret key (or QR code) and keep it in a safe place. This will help you to restore access to Administration Console or Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console in case you lose access to your mobile device.

To secure the usage of Kaspersky Security Center, you can enable two-step verification for your own account and enable two-step verification for all users.

You can exclude accounts from two-step verification. This can be necessary for service accounts that cannot receive a security code for authentication.

Two-step verification works according to the following rules:

• Only a user account that has the Modify object ACLs right in the General features: User permissions functional area can enable two-step verification for all users.
• Only a user that enabled two-step verification for his or her own account can enable the option of two-step verification for all users.
• Only a user that enabled two-step verification for his or her own account can exclude other user accounts from the list of two-step verification enabled for all users.
• A user can enable two-step verification only for his or her own account.
• A user account that has the Modify object ACLs right in the General features: User permissions functional area and is logged in to Administration Console or Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console by using two-step verification can disable two-step verification: for any other user only if two-step verification for all users is disabled, for a user excluded from the list of two-step verification that is enabled for all users.
• Any user that logged in to Administration Console or Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console by using two-step verification can reissue his or her own secret key.
• You can enable the two-step verification for all users option for the Administration Server you are currently working with. If you enable this option on the Administration Server, you also enable this option for the user accounts of its virtual Administration Servers and do not enable two-step verification for the user accounts of the secondary Administration Servers.

If two-step verification is enabled for a user account on Kaspersky Security Center Administration Server version 13 or later, the user will not be able to log in to the Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console versions 12, 12.1 or 12.2.

Enabling two-step verification for your own account

Before you enable two-step verification for your account, ensure that an authenticator application is installed on your mobile device. Ensure that the time set in the authenticator application is synchronized with the time of Administration Server.

To enable two-step verification for your account:

1. In the Kaspersky Security Center console tree, open the context menu of the Administration Server folder, and then select Properties.
2. In the Administration Server properties window, go to the Sections pane and select Advanced, and then Two-step verification.
3. In the Two-step verification section, click the Set up button.

   In the two-step verification properties window that opens, the secret key is displayed.

4. Enter the secret key in the authenticator application to receive one-time security code. You can specify the secret key into the authenticator application manually or scan the QR code by your mobile device.
5. Specify the security code generated by the authenticator application, and then click the OK button to exit the two-step verification properties window.
6. Click the Apply button.
7. Click the OK button.

Two-step verification is enabled for your own account.

Enabling two-step verification for all users

You can enable two-step verification for all users of Administration Server if your account has the Modify object ACLs right in the General features: User permissions functional area and if you are authenticated by using two-step verification. If you did not enable two-step verification for your account before enabling it for all users, the application opens the window for enabling two-step verification for your own account.

To enable two-step verification for all users:

1. In the Kaspersky Security Center console tree, open the context menu of the Administration Server folder, and then select Properties.
2. In the Administration Server properties window, in the Sections pane, select Advanced, and then Two-step verification.
3. Click the Set as required button to enable two-step verification for all users.
4. In the Two-step verification section, click the Apply button, and then click the OK button.

Two-step verification is enabled for all users. From now on, all users of Administration Server, including the users that were added after enabling this option, have to configure two-step verification for their accounts, except for the users whose accounts are excluded from two-step verification.

Disabling two-step verification for a user account

To disable two-step verification for your own account:

1. In the Kaspersky Security Center console tree, open the context menu of the Administration Server folder, and then select Properties.
2. In the Administration Server properties window, in the Sections pane, select Advanced, and then Two-step verification.
3. In the Two-step verification section, click the Disable button.
4. Click the Apply button.
5. Click the OK button.

Two-step verification is disabled for your account.

You can disable two-step verification of other users' accounts. This provides protection in case, for example, a user loses or breaks a mobile device.

You can disable two-step verification of another user's account only if you have the Modify object ACLs right in the General features: User permissions functional area. Following the steps below, you can disable two-step verification for your own account as well.

To disable two-step verification for any user account:

1. In the console tree, open the User accounts folder.

   The User accounts folder is a subfolder of the Advanced folder by default.

2. In the workspace, double-click the user account for which you want to disable two-step verification.
3. In the Properties: <user name> window that opens, select the Two-step verification section.
4. In the Two-step verification section, select the following options:
   • If you want to disable two-step verification for a user account, click the Disable button.
   • If you want to exclude this user account from two-step verification, select the User can pass authentication by using user name and password only option.
5. Click the Apply button.
6. Click the OK button.

Two-step verification for a user account is disabled.

Disabling two-step verification for all users

You can disable two-step verification for all users of the Administration Server if you have Modify object ACLs right in the General features: User permissions functional area and if you are authenticated by using two-step verification.

To disable two-step verification for all users:

1. In the Kaspersky Security Center console tree, open the context menu of the Administration Server folder, and then select Properties.
2. In the Administration Server properties window, in the Sections pane, select Advanced, and then Two-step verification.
3. Click the Set as optional button to disable two-step verification for all the users.
4. Click the Apply button in the Two-step verification section.
5. Click the OK button in the Two-step verification section.

Two-step verification is disabled for all users.

Excluding accounts from two-step verification

You can exclude an account from two-step verification if your account has the Modify object ACLs right in the General features: User permissions functional area.

If a user account is excluded from two-step verification, that user can log in to Administration Console or Kaspersky Security Center 13.1 Web Console without using two-step verification.

Excluding accounts from two-step verification can be necessary for service accounts that cannot pass the security code during authentication.

To exclude a user account from two-step verification:

1. If you want to exclude an Active Directory account, perform Active Directory polling to refresh the list of Administration Server users.
2. In the console tree, open the User accounts folder.

   The User accounts folder is a subfolder of the Advanced folder by default.

3. In the workspace, double-click the user account that you want to exclude from two-step verification
4. In the Properties: <user name> window that opens, select the Two-step verification section.
5. In the opened section, select the User can pass authentication by using user name and password only option.
6. In the Two-step verification section, click the Apply button, and then click the OK button.

This user account is excluded from two-step verification. You can check the excluded accounts in the list of user accounts.

Editing the name of a security code issuer

You can have several identifiers (they are called issuers) for different Administration Servers. You can change the name of a security code issuer in case, for example, the Administration Server already uses a similar name of security code issuer for another Administration Server. By default, the name of a security code issuer is the same as the name of the Administration Server.

After you change the security code issuer name you have to reissue a new secret key and pass it to the authenticator application.

To specify a new name of a security code issuer:

1. In the Kaspersky Security Center console tree, open the context menu of the Administration Server folder, and then select Properties.
2. In the Administration Server properties window, in the Sections pane, select Advanced, and then Two-step verification.
3. Specify a new security code issuer name in the Security code issuer field.
4. Click the Apply button in the Two-step verification section.
5. Click the OK button in the Two-step verification section.

A new security code issuer name is specified for the Administration Server.