Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – Now Also Available at Digital Republic

There are many sensitive accounts. Your customer account at Digital Republic is also one of them. Anyone who has access to your account or your cell phone number can not only book new tariffs on your bill, but also bypass other logins that use SMS verification. Digital Republic offers you the option of two-factor authentication (2FA) for this purpose. With 2FA, no one can log into your account without also having your smartphone. Even if the person knows your password.

With 2FA, a second factor is requested for each login in addition to the first factor (your password). This is a confirmation code that you receive either by text message or via an authenticator app.

If the correct confirmation code is entered as the second factor, you will be logged in. If not, you will receive a security warning and login will be denied.

We recommend using the option via the Authenticator app if possible. This way, the second factor is restricted to your specific smartphone and even if your cell phone number is stolen, no one can log in using a device or app other than yours.

If you have not yet set up 2FA, you will receive a message the next time you log in to connect.digitalrepublic.ch that will allow you to start the setup process directly. Alternatively, you can also start the setup by clicking on the “User account” menu item.

To set up 2FA via the app, download any authenticator app to your smartphone, select the “Add” option in the app and scan the QR code displayed in the customer portal.

Now enter the confirmation code displayed in your Authenticator app and save your personal recovery codes.

Finally, you complete the process and test whether everything worked. That’s it. You have secured your account against unauthorized access.

The text message confirmation is less secure but also very easy to use. To do this, simply enter the cell phone number that you want to receive the confirmation code on.

We will then send you a text message with a confirmation code, which you then enter in the customer portal in the next step. The rest of the setup process is exactly the same as for the app-based method.

Unfortunately, passwords and email addresses often end up in circulation through data leaks. If this data falls into the wrong hands and you also use the same password for different accounts, third parties can log into your account and cause a lot of damage.

Especially with sensitive accounts like your eBanking or the account with your mobile phone provider, such an incident can quickly cost a lot of money. To make matters worse, many banks and other institutions verify your identity via SMS. So if someone logs into your Digital Republic account and hijacks your cell phone number, they can then log in anywhere that an SMS code is requested.

This means that your password is the weakest link in the chain and therefore, no matter how strong it is, it is not really secure. 2FA provides an effective remedy here.