Aug 20, 2021 by Thibault Debatty | 5382 views
https://cylab.be/blog/164/gitlab-enable-2-factor-authentication-2fa
GitLab is a very powerful tool, and it also implements decent security measures and protections. But still, by default all your work on GitLab is protected by a single password, which could be guessed or stolen. To add an additional layer of protection, you can (and should) configure 2-Factor Authentication (2FA).
When 2FA is enabled, your identity is verified twice when you login (with 2 factors):
To show you are the owner of the smartphone, you must use an app called a One-Time-Password generator (OTP). This app generates a PIN code that you must enter when you login. Unlike a classical password, this generated PIN code changes overtime. If the PIN code you type is correct, it means you are the owner of the smartphone (or at least that you are able to unlock the smartphone). If the password AND the PIN code you type are correct, your are properly authenticated.
When you create your account you must define your password, such that the GitLab server can verify your identity when you come back. In the same way, to use 2FA you must first link (synchronize) your smartphone with the GitLab server, such that the server can later check that you still own this smartphone. This is done by typing in the smartphone app a long token generated by the server, or using a QR code where the token is encoded.
This complete process is defined in 2 standards:
This means that multiple apps exist that you can use to generate the PIN code (and enable 2FA): Google Authenticator, Authy, LastPass, Duo Mobile etc.
For this post we will use FreeOTP because:
To enable 2FA for your account in GitLab:
Your are done! Each time you tap the tile it will generate a unique PIN code, that you must use to login into GitLab...
This blog post is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0