Adding a USB Security Key

Owned by Christopher Mueller
Last updated: Jul 02, 2024 by Naa Amerley Lokko
4 min read

PCCC recommends adding multiple methods of authentication to your account, with options including:

You must have access to one of these methods when you sign in.

What is a Security Key?

A USB Security Key is a small piece of hardware that you can plug in to your device (if it has a USB port). If the key is connected to an account as a multifactor authentication method, you can sign into your account using the key. There are many different types of security keys out there, made by different manufacturers. An example of this is Google’s Titan Security Key. This article will go through how to set up your USB security key with your PCCC account. Be sure that the security key that you have is a FIDO2-Certified key, and that it is your own personal hardware key that you’re not sharing with anyone else.

Note: At this time, we do not support the NFC security key method.

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In the picture, there are 2 versions of Google’s Titan security key. On the left is the USB-A version, and on the right is the USB-C version

Instructions for USB Security Key:

Please perform all of these steps on a personal computer, not a public computer.

Step 1. Have Your USB Security Key Ready

Please make sure that you have your USB security key with you before you continue with the rest of the steps.

 

Step 2. Add your Security Key to your Account

On your desktop, visit https://aka.ms/mysecurityinfo

On the “Security Info” page, click Add sign-in method.

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Under “Add a method”, select Security Key. Then click Add.

 

You may be asked to sign-in with another method of two-factor authentication before you can continue with setting up the security key, so please do so after clicking Next.

 

After verifying with two-factor authentication, choose USB device for the security key type.

 

Step 3. Set Up your Security Key on Computer

Have your security key ready to plug in. After clicking Next, the setup will transition from the Microsoft security settings to the settings of the computer you are using.

When you are ready to setup your key, click Next and go through the process through your computer.

Be sure to follow all the directions on your screen and be sure to pick “Security Key” (or a similar name) as the option you are setting up.

You will need to type in the passkey to your security key and take other steps (for example, touching the key) to add it to your PCCC account. This will depend on how the security key was manufactured.

 

Step 4. Name Security Key

After going through the setup process on your computer, you will be redirected back to the “Security Info” settings.

Enter a name for your security key. This serves to be a label for this authentication method and can be helpful if you happen to have more than one security key on your account.