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Two-factor authentication (2FA), sometimes referred to as two-step verification or dual-factor authentication, is a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves. This process helps to protect better both the user's credentials and the user’s resources.

For MyAFRINIC portal users, the two authentication factors are:

  1. The account password
  2. A one-time six-digit security code.

The code is generated by a third-party Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) authenticator, defined as an open standard in RFC6238. Any application that supports TOTP can be used for two-factor authentication.

2FA implementation for the MyAFRINIC portal is an optional but highly recommended security feature, as it adds a layer of security to the authentication process. If enabled, you will be required to enter your password and the six-digit security code; generated by a TOTP authenticator on a device you control, typically a smartphone; whenever you sign in.

 

Prerequisite for two-factor authentication.

You must first install a TOTP application on your smartphone or tablet before enabling two-factor authentication in MyAFRINIC. Some examples are:

You may choose your own authenticator of choice other than the ones listed above.

 

How do I enable Two-Factor Authentication?

Enabling 2FA is a straightforward procedure; the following steps should get it enabled:

  1. Log into Myafrinic Account
  2. Click on “My Account”, then select Security
  3. Select the "2-Factor Authentication" button.
  4. Select setup. When setting up the authenticator app, you can either:
    • Scan the QR-code displayed, or
    • Enter the “Secret Key” manually.
  5. Use the six-digit from the app to conclude the setup.
    • If your six-digit security code does not match, please check that your phone has an automatic time zone setting selected.
  6. A demo guide can be found here.

 

Once 2FA is enabled, you will be required to supply both authentication factors every time you log in and access information from Myafrinic. You will be required to enter your NIC-HDL and password first, and then you will be asked to "enter the security code generated by your authenticator app".

In most cases, just launching the authenticator app will generate a new code. You should enter this code to gain access to your account. In most authenticator apps, the auto-generated code is valid for 30 seconds only. You should use the code within that time; otherwise, it will expire, and a new code will be generated. You may refer to your authenticator app's documentation for specific instructions.

 

What if I can't generate the six-digit code?

If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot access the authenticator app, you will need to use a backup security code to sign in to the Myafrinic portal. The backup code is a 10-character one-time code you can use in place of the OTP code to access your account.

When you have enabled the 2FA authentication, you will find the “Generate Backup Codes” button under the 2-Factor Authentication section. The backup codes will be generated when the button is clicked, and the system will give you 5 one-time use backup codes. Write these down or print out, and store them in a safe place. Each Backup Code can only be used once; however, you can generate a new set of codes at any time.

If you are locked out of your account and do not have the backup security code, please contact us.

 

What if I don't have or want to use a smartphone?

A smartphone with an authenticator app makes it very easy to use 2FA, but in principle, you can use any application capable of generating Time-based One-Time Passwords. For example, the OATH Toolkit allows you to generate security codes from the command line. The man page will give you details on how to use the application. The other option could be the OTP Manager, another simple application for managing One Time Password (OTP) tokens.

 

Can I disable 2-factor authentication after enabling it?

Yes. 2FA is optional but a highly recommended security feature. You can disable the functionality by navigating to the Security page of your “My Account” section, clicking the button "Disable” button".

 Important Note:

On 24 June 2021 during the scheduled maintenance to add the 2FA feature on MyAFRINIC, the change was rolled back as we encountered some issues. We provided the report on our status page at https://status.afrinic.net/#notice-121229

We are now expecting the deployment in the second week of July.

 

 

The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) in collaboration with the Africa Network Operators Group (AfNOG) have proudly concluded the second AIS’21 virtual conference.

The event took place from 31 May to 4 June 2021 and was attended by 378 delegates from 55 countries.

The conference was enriched by technical sessions from renowned experts who delivered insightful presentations on topics such as IPv6, Blockchain Governance, Internet Routing security, Digital Inclusion among others.

The conference saw over seventy presentations that spun over 5 days. The Last day of the conference was dedicated to the AFRINIC Annual General Members Meeting.

The agenda also consisted of other notable pre-event sessions that took place from 24 - 28 May and included several AfNOG tutorials, the AFRINIC Government Working Group Meeting, the newcomers’ session and a session dedicated to Inclusivity and Diversity in the AFRINIC ecosystem.

 

Presentations and Daily Recaps

  1. We invite you to read all the session recaps: 31 May | 1 June | 2 June | 3 June | 4 June
  2. The Meeting agenda and slides are available here.
  3. Watch the videos for all the sessions here.
  4. Meeting statistics are available here.

 

The Platform

We learnt a lot from our past experience as this was our second time using the Meetecho platform. The overall experience was better than last year. The Organising Team was prepared and took several actions that led to the smooth running of the programme such as organising daily tests with speakers, moderators and MCs who could get acquainted with the platform. The coordination among staff, speakers, moderators and MCs also was well orchestrated.

The Meetecho platform provided a feature for speakers to upload their slides which was an additional option to sharing their screen, and this proved useful.

This time, we introduced several innovations such as a quiz competition during the breaks and for the first time we held an online cocktail online on a dedicated platform ‘’Spatial Chat’’. Those events were well received by our delegates and have set the benchmark for our upcoming AFRINIC and AIS events.

Another novelty, the AIS '21 Online Opening Ceremony was set on a hybrid format with our Chief Guest, HE Mr Augustin Kibassa the Minister of Posts, Telecommunications & ICT giving the Opening Speech live from Kinshasa in DRC.

However, we faced some technical challenges with the hybrid format as well as a bug was reported on the slide share functionality on 28 May during the newcomer’s session. There were some concerns also raised with regards to privacy issues on filling our online survey form and with meeting tokens during the AGMM.

We take with us the lessons learned as we shall strive to get better at these aspects for our future events.

 

Technical Performance

The following graphs highlight how our infrastructure performed during our virtual meeting. As more people joined the meeting, the network usage started to peak on each day. On the first day, we got the highest network traffic.

 


 


 

Streaming also requires CPU power to process the video and audio, the highest CPU usage matches the first day where we saw the highest number of concurrent participants joining.

 


 


 

Meeting Partners and Sponsorship

It is important we acknowledge our AIS'21 Online Sponsors. This meeting was sponsored by ICANN, ISOC, dotAfrica, Flexoptix, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Topdog and Emtel. We appreciate your continuous support.

 

What’s Next

AIS’21 Online was a rich learning experience for the whole AIS team who displayed a great team spirit. We are thankful to everyone who made this event a success as we look ahead to our next AIS/AFRINIC Meeting.

We shall also be happy to share our experience gained over the two online AIS meetings held with anyone who is interested in organising similar online events. The AIS organising team may be contacted at meeting [at] afrinic.net or comms [at] afrinic.net