The Los Altos High School Information Technology (IT) Department is enabling multi-factor authentication for all students starting Wednesday, February 1.

Starting then, students will be able to access their Mountain View–Los Altos email accounts through ClassLink, a service that automatically creates secure accounts, according to Director of IT Services Bob Fishtrom. Once students authenticate using ClassLink, they can then successfully sign into their Google accounts. Within ClassLink, students can be directed to other school-related applications, including Canvas, Aeries Student Information System andNaviance. 

With Classlink’s multi-factor authentication, students will be given the option to protect their accounts using either an image or 6-digit PIN number. This extra step will ensure better protection and security for students’s MVLA accounts. 

“With the rise in malware and other threat actors out there, we have to follow best practices to keep all student and staff accounts safe,” Fishtrom said. “Think of online banking or other secure things people do online — all of these resources require multi factor authentication now.”

Before Wednesday, February 1, students need to sign into ClassLink with their MVLA 9-digit ID and set up password recovery, which includes authentication through mobile number, email and security questions. In an email sent today from the IT Department, helpful links and instructions have been provided to ensure a smooth transition for students. 

In addition to the change to multi-factor authentication in ClassLink, other changes will also be made to the wireless network within the next month. Instead of the current LAHS-Student wifi, students will start logging into a network titled MVLA-Wifi. 

“This is called radius authentication and ensures that we know who is on our network,” Fishtrom said. “Currently, with everybody using the same password, that is not the best practice.”

If you are unable to sign into your ClassLink account, please email [email protected].