Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security to your AWS account by requiring users to provide additional authentication beyond their username and password. This technical reference guide will provide you with a step-by-step process on setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA):
Enabling MFA for your AWS account:
- To enable MFA for your AWS account, sign in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the IAM dashboard.
- In the navigation pane, choose Users, and then choose the name of the user you want to enable MFA for.
- Choose the Security Credentials tab, and then choose Activate MFA.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to enable MFA for your AWS account.
Setting up MFA for your IAM users:
- To set up MFA for your IAM users, sign in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the IAM dashboard.
- In the navigation pane, choose Users, and then choose the name of the user you want to set up MFA for.
- Choose the Security Credentials tab, and then choose Assign MFA device.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to set up MFA for your IAM user.
Using MFA for API access:
- To use MFA for API access, you will need to create an MFA-protected API access key for your IAM user.
- To do this, sign in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the IAM dashboard.
- In the navigation pane, choose Users, and then choose the name of the user you want to create an MFA-protected API access key for.
- Choose the Security Credentials tab, and then choose Create access key.
- When prompted, choose the option to require MFA to use the access key.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to create an MFA-protected API access key.
By following these steps, you can set up MFA for added security in your AWS account and protect access to your resources and services.
