Error Activating 2FA

  • Resolved sagetone

    (@sagetone)


    1 year, 5 months ago

    I am using Wordfence free version. To do some troubleshooting on our site, I deactivate 2FA. Troubleshooting complete, I want to re-activate 2FA. When I do now, I get this error message, “Error Activating 2FA. The code provided does not match the expected value. Please verify that the time on your authentication device is correct and that this server’s time is correct”. I’m using Google Authenticator. All times are in sync, so that’s not the issue. I’ve deactivated Wordfence a few times in Authenticator, and this is not fixing the problem either. What could be the issue here?

    The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Thread Starter sagetone

    (@sagetone)

    OK, I think I may have a server time browser time problem, they are off by 2 seconds. Seems minor, but I get how this is causing the issue. Now, how do I correct this? Here’s a snippet of a screenshot showing the mismatch.

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LXHCXtXi9nL6XLQA3T4ALYD0B9IGplZB/view?usp=drive_link

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by sagetone.
    Thread Starter sagetone

    (@sagetone)

    Still stuck. I’ve resynced times and now browser and server time agree, as well as my phone where the authenticator app resides. But I’m still getting the above mentioned error message and can’t re-enable 2FA. Help?

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by sagetone.
    Plugin Support wfmark

    (@wfmark)

    Hi @sagetone , Thanks for reaching out and sharing the troubleshooting steps you’ve taken.

    I know this might seem strange, but does another authenticator app of your default choice work? I have seen cases where Google Authenticator (for example) won’t activate the exact same codes that Authy or another app will. 

    I understand you’ve synchronized the time there, but this test should just rule the codes being presented on your site in or out as the root cause.

    Here is a list of apps we’ve tested: https://www.wordfence.com/help/tools/two-factor-authentication/#how-to-enable-two-factor-authentication 

    Let me know how it goes.Thanks,

    Mark

    Thread Starter sagetone

    (@sagetone)

    Hi Mark, thank you! I tried it with Microsoft Authenticator and works just fine. Still not sure why Google Authenticator quit working, but oh well, what matters is that I’ve got 2FA again. Thanks!!

    Plugin Support wfmark

    (@wfmark)

    You’re welcome @sagetone.

    I’m glad Microsoft Authenticator worked for you.

    In case you need any further assistance, please create a new topic and we’ll be happy to help.

    Thanks,
    Mark.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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