Question
MFA for a custom web application on a user's smartphone is no longer working. The last time the user remembered it working was before taking a vacation to another country. Which of the following should the technician do first?
- A. Verify the date and time settings. Correct
- B. Apply mobile OS patches.
- C. Uninstall and reinstall the application.
- D. Escalate to the website developer.
Explanation
Time-based one-time passwords are computed from the current time, so the phone and the server must agree on the clock within a small tolerance. Travelling across time zones, or a manually set clock, can push the phone's time outside that window and every code is rejected. Checking date, time and time zone is quick and non-destructive, so it comes before patching, reinstalling or escalating.
