Github 2FA authentication is mandatory Now!!!

Following are their offcial statement through email

We’re reaching out to let you know that as announced last year, we will officially begin requiring users who contribute code on GitHub.com to have one or more forms of two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled. You are receiving this notification because your account meets this criteria and will be required to enroll in 2FA by September 28th, 2023 at 00:00 (UTC).

We believe that securing the software supply chain starts with the developer. As GitHub is central to the software supply chain, our 2FA initiative is part of a platform-wide effort to secure the software ecosystem through improving account security. Developer accounts are frequent targets for social engineering and account takeover (ATO). Protecting developers and consumers of the open source ecosystem, including large enterprises, from these types of attacks is the first and most critical step toward securing the supply chain.

This email marks the beginning of your 45-day 2FA enrollment period. You’ll receive additional reminders via email and the platform throughout the 45 days. After this 45 day window, your access to GitHub.com will be limited until you enroll in 2FA. A few things we think you should know:

• 2FA enrollment is required, and if you have not enrolled by September 28th, 2023 at 00:00 (UTC), you will have limited ability to access GitHub.com until you finish the enrollment process. Once you’re enrolled, you will not have the ability to disable 2FA in the future.
• Enrolling in 2FA is easy, and we accept several options including TOTP mobile apps, text messages (SMS), security keys, and GitHub Mobile. Click here to get started!
• Already enrolled in 2FA? Thank you! No action is required on your part at this time.

To learn more about what to expect from the experience, please see the information below.

Making the software supply chain more secure is a team effort, and we can’t do it without you. Your enrollment in 2FA is an impactful step in keeping the world’s software secure.

What you need to know about the required 2FA initiative

We are enrolling GitHub users who manage or author code on GitHub. More information about our efforts to make 2FA adoption easy and safe can be found in this blog post. This is a GitHub.com program, and unrelated to any organization or enterprise membership your account may have.

How will this affect my account?

On September 28th, 2023 at 00:00 (UTC) your account will be required to have 2FA for authentication. If you have not yet enrolled by that date, your ability to access GitHub.com will be limited until you finish the enrollment process.

How do I enroll in 2FA?

Click here to get started! Prior to September 28th, 2023 at 00:00 (UTC) you can follow the instructions in our documentation to set up 2FA for your account. If you have not yet enrolled in 2FA by September 28th, 2023 at 00:00 (UTC), you will automatically be taken to the 2FA enrollment form the next time you access GitHub.com.

What forms of 2FA can I use?

We want you to have the most seamless experience with 2FA possible, so you can choose one or more of the following options:

• Security key
• GitHub Mobile
• Authenticator application (TOTP)
• Text messages (SMS)

You should set up at least two of these options, to ensure you always have access to your account. Head to https://github.com/settings/security to enroll more 2FA methods.

I already have 2FA enabled, do I need to do anything?

No, if you already have 2FA enabled before September 28th, 2023 at 00:00 (UTC), you don’t need to take any additional actions. After September 28th, 2023 at 00:00 (UTC), you will no longer be able to unenroll from 2FA from your account, but you will be able to change the option you use for authenticating with 2FA. Additionally, you won’t see any more banners on GitHub.com, and we won’t email you about this anymore.

What happens to my PATs and SSH keys at the deadline?

Your PATs, SSH keys, and applications will all keep working after the deadline, regardless of your 2FA enrollment. PATs in particular are used extensively in important automation, and interruption there can cause outages in critical systems. However, when it is time to sign in to GitHub.com to create a new PAT or manage your account, you’ll be required to enable 2FA before you can proceed.

What do I do if I lose my 2FA device?

GitHub strongly encourages the use of multiple second factor options. If you lose all of your second factors, recovery codes are the only way to access your account again. By saving your recovery codes, you’ll be able to regain access.

Be sure to enable cloud backup for your authenticator app and save your recovery codes. Many phones and computers can be security keys as well – registering them with GitHub.com gives you additional, highly-secure 2FA methods.

For security reasons, GitHub Support may not be able to restore access to accounts with 2FA enabled if you lose your 2FA credentials and lose access to your account recovery methods.

More information about recovery codes can be found on GitHub Help at https://docs.github.com/articles/recovering-your-account-if-you-lose-your-2fa-credentials

Why is GitHub requiring 2FA?

Ensuring account security is a shared responsibility GitHub takes seriously. Strong authentication and the use of 2FA have been recognized as best practice for many years. We feel that GitHub has a duty to lead this push toward strong authentication as part of protecting the software supply chain.

To see this and other security events for your account, visit your account security audit log.

If you run into problems, please contact support by visiting the GitHub support page.

Thanks,
The GitHub Team

Rajesh Kumar

I’m Rajesh Kumar, a DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, Cloud, and Platform Engineering expert passionate about sharing practical knowledge, real-world experiences, and industry best practices. I have worked at Cotocus and regularly write about technology, travel, investing, health, product reviews, and digital marketing through my various platforms.

I publish technical articles at DevOps School, travel stories at Holiday Landmark, stock market insights at Stocks Mantra, health and fitness guidance at My Medic Plus, product reviews at TrueReviewNow, and SEO and digital marketing strategies at Wizbrand.