Mobile Authenticator

Setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) on your mobile phone

The authentication process on MOGON provides the best possible protection against malicious intent. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to set up your phone for 2FA.

Onboarding - Next Steps:
  • Ask your PI to add your JGU account to an HPC project.
  • Generate your SSH keys using Windows or Linux/macOS .
  • Add your public SSH key to your JGU account as demonstrated here .
  • Prepare your smartphone for 2FA by installing freeOTP or privacyIDEA.
  • Send an to the HPC Group from your JGU account.

Prepare your Smartphone for 2FA

The two-factor authentication to verify personal usage of your MOGON account, requires you to download and install an authenticator app on your smartphone. Please pick one of the two recommended apps below, which are checked for compatibility with our system.

Caution when using other apps

Other apps may not function properly and we cannot provide support if you face trouble with a different app. If you nevertheless decide to use another app, make sure it supports sha-256.

privacyIDEA @MOGON

You can access privacyIDEA via the following link 2fa.hpc.uni-mainz.de .

  1. Have your smartphone with freeOTP or PrivacyIDEA app installed ready.
  2. Browse to PrivacyIdea and get ready for the login. Browser extensions, such as uBlock, uMatrix and NoScript, probably will prevent the website from functioning properly.
  3. For the login you need your username and the one-time registration key. The one-time registration key serves as a password for the login to PrivacyIdea and is sent to you by e-mail after your account has been added to an HPC project.

Contact the HPC Group

Onboarding - Next Steps:
  • Ask your PI to add your JGU account to an HPC project.
  • Generate your SSH keys using Windows or Linux/macOS .
  • Add your public SSH key to your JGU account as demonstrated here .
  • Prepare your smartphone for 2FA by installing freeOTP or privacyIDEA.
  • Send an to the HPC Group from your JGU account.
  • Complete the privacyIDEA configuration with an HPC admin.
  • Once you have set up your SSH-Keys and freeOTP or privacyIDEA on your smartphone, please send an with subject MOGON Authentication to our ticket system from your JGU account.
  • We will send you an appointment for the video call and the link to our BigBlueButton session.
  • The call should take no longer than 15 minutes, if your SSH keys are properly set up. Please have your ID or passport ready for verification.

Switching to a New Phone

Migrating privacyIDEA to a new smartphone requires that your old one is still functional and you can log in to MOGON with it, and that your new smartphone is already set up and functional.

  1. Start by browsing to the privacyIDEA website .

iPhone backup
If you use an iPhone, you can restore your TOTPs by setting up your new smartphone from an encrypted local backup on your computer.