Can somebody help me understand steamguard on my phone?

[futurefields]

I think I got it set up right. I am confused though about the login screen, on the Android app.

There is the login/password fields to sign in, but then below that it keeps showing these 5 digit codes, that have a countdown bar that goes from blue to red, and then the code changes. And it just keeps going and going and going.

What is that?

 

[DaveSimmons]

"Multi-factor authentication" is a time-based code that you enter when you log in to a server or service as an extra check.

Because it is time-based, snooping on the connection like in public wi-fi won't help a hacker because the code stops working after X seconds.

Just think of the code as a second one-time-use password that changes every few seconds.

 

[futurefields]

I just put my username and password in to log into the Android app. That code just ticks down at the bottom and changes every few seconds. No idea what I use it for, or why its displayed like that.

Im talking about the Android app. Download it and enable Steamguard through it. Then log out of the app and reopen it, youll see the code counting down.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Google MFA, be happy.

I don't use it with Steam yet so I have no idea when it would ask you for the MFA code.

I use MFA codes when I log in with Amazon Web Services and the Star Wars TOR MMO.

 

[mnewsham]

When you want to log in on a new device or web browser it will ask you to enter a steam guard code, when it prompts you for this code, open up the app, enter the code shown. If it changes before you can type it, just type the new code that has shown up.

This should only happen when logging in from a NEW computer or a new web browser you haven't logged in from before.