What is the first troubleshooting step the technician should take?

A user reports that they are unable to access their account despite entering the correct password and using their smartphone-based authenticator app for MFA.

What is the first troubleshooting step the technician should take?

A. Reset the user’s password immediately

B. Check for and resolve any time-sync issues on the user’s smartphone

C. Disable MFA temporarily to verify the user’s password

D. Recommend that the user switches to a different type of MFA device

View Answer

Answer: B

Explanation:

Correct Answer. B. Check for and resolve any time-sync issues on the user’s smartphone Smartphone-based authenticator apps rely heavily on accurate time settings to generate valid TOTPs. If there is a time-sync problem on the user’s device, it can cause the TOTPs to be out of sync with the server, leading to authentication failures.

Option A is incorrect because resetting the password does not address potential issues with the authenticator app.

Option C is incorrect because disabling MFA compromises security and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Option D is incorrect because switching MFA devices does not address the underlying issue if it’s related to time synchronization on the current device.