MyBell and Bell Email MFA/2FA access

[StevieB]

 I understand the need to implement login verification on the web.  All good.  However it completely baffles me that your system requires a successful text-based authentication to my Bell mobile phone, and then immediately requires an additional e-mail based verification.  This is ridiculous, useless, and a waste a time.  Not even my bank makes me jump through that many hoops for a simple login.   Once again Bell you are demonstrating you are more interested in showing off and spinning your wheels just for the sake of it, rather than focusing on the actual customer experience.  I login to my Bell account often, and this has become such a source of irritation that I'm considering switching to Rogers.  So, my question is, can you setup my account so that I'm not forced to double verify myself when I log in!!??

[jimrey]

Good Afternoon. I have change the email where the MF2 is to be sent to on my profile as I do not have access to the original one I have also spent time on the phone and the authentication is still going to the email I no longer have access too. 

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

Thank you for posting your question. Can you please elaborate & explain what you mean by: "I have change the email where the MF2 is to be sent to on my profile as I do not have access to the original one." 

Please tell us more. Briefly tell us how you changed your email? Where you changed it at and how you access your email? After you log in with multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the first time, you can make changes to your email address or mobile phone number by following instructions on the MyBell profile page.

Multi-factor authentication for MyBell : What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)?

If you setup your email account on an email client, you will bypass MFA authentication for email access only.

You do not need to specifically use your Sympatico email address. You can choose any email service provider.

If you wish to continue to use your Bell email address on an email client, I have included the instruction below:

 Using Bell email : Bell email features

To reset your Bell MFA without access to MyBell, you must contact Bell customer support by phone. There is no alternative online method to reset the MFA process if you can't log into MyBell to change the settings. Bell cannot provide a work-around for the MFA security code required when accessing Bell email through a web browser, and you cannot reset your MFA without logging in to change your contact information in your MyBell profile. 

For further instructions , you will need to talk to a Bell Internet tech support representative who will be able to assist you in resetting your MFA authentication. Please call: 1 866 310-BELL (2355)

Take care.

[Unhappy User 9000]

I could not get any Windows 11 apps to connect to the Bell email. One might have been able to via the old POP protocol, but that's unencrypted. Why make a vague suggestion when testing seems to show it's not a workable solution?

[Unhappy User 9000]

No kidding! My father has been a Bell user since the 1960s if not before, but has 1 email and a landline. How can MFA work when there's only one channel and its the one insisting on MFA?

If Bell thinks he should get a smartphone to be able to read email on his desktop, perhaps they should supply one. But it better have big buttons - he's getting up there in age!

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

Thank you for reaching out to the community and raising your concern.

I cannot speak for the apps that you are using and the reasoning why you are unable to set up your father's Bell email on an email client.

If you setup his email account on an email client, you will bypass MFA authentication for email access only. You do not need to specifically use your Sympatico email address. You can choose any email service provider.

You are not limited to exclusively using POP protocol. It is simpler and easier to use. You can also use IMAP protocol. It is more flexible, easier to set up and is best used across multiple devices.

If you wish to continue to use your Bell email address on an email client, I have included the instruction below:

 Using Bell email : Bell email features

Here is a partial list of email clients that do work can be set up on a Windows 11 computer: Outlook, GMail, Thunderbird, eM Client, Mailspring, etc.

There is no work around for the MFA email authentication. All Bell customers are required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA). You cannot opt out.

Let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Take care.

[dks]

I am curious. Can you say more? Chrome, Edge and Brave browsers work for web mail access. Outlook in its various iterations also works with Bell email using POP and IMAP. The apps will not work if you are running a VPN however. Bell security will not let you in if your VPN is not within Canada. 

[JH1]

Over the last few months Bell was doing a 2 step verification via my email when I logged into my account. Then they also added a text message with an authorization code, but today when I logged in, all I did was put in my password no 2 step verification at all. Has Bell decided not to do 2 step verification anymore? It seems odd because most websites are adopting this method for security.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

MFA/2FA email authentication is still required. All Bell customers are required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA). You cannot opt out.

Bell has not shared any plans to stop MFA/2FA authentication on MyBell.

As is the case with any security measurement that is introduced, there will be continual future enhancements, tweaks and changes.

Take care.

[Ontario Customer]

I am with you StevieB.  This triple MFA (password + email code + phone code) is beyond dumb !  Bell people: you may want to consider allowing customers to opt out MFA when signing in, or at least reduce it to a more reasonable two-step process. You are surely loosing clients over this... companies that do not listen to their customers do not deserve our business.

[Taavi1]

This MFA is security overkill. I am not divulging state secrets or personal details like the length of body organs in a Bell email. In order to access an email I would have to open another window to get a 6 numbers so that I can discover how much I am being charged for changing a a tap to a quarter turn ball .. I would hazard a guess that no one on this planet would try to pretend it is me asking about a $5 dollar repair. Perhaps I should kiss off this bell.net email and try another email. I tend to use Duck Duck Go as a search engine which limits the amount of tracking so why do I need three layers of security. Whoever the Bell security techie is who came up with this nonsense should be demoted or fired. I am almost 80 years old and do not want the inconvenience or the need or the hassle of the MFA. How do I get out of this nonsense.

[Taavi1]

Five minutes is too short a time to go through the awkward task of finding out what secret pass code is necessary to access bell.net. If I have to use an iPad to access the other email first I have to locate it and if the battery needs charging on the iPad there would be a timing out of the specific pass word. So a solution would be a one hour timing out assuming there is no need to lead a life to find out what the plumber is charging me for a minor repair, or Bell is raising their rates for my wife's cell phone. A better solution is to determine that the nonsense of a MFA is nonsensical overkill. I have a password to open my Mac, another to access the internet all the while Sympatico and Duck, Duck Go are monitoring the activity on my desk top along with a third party network and virus detector then a bell.net password which adds up to six security checks so why do I need a seventh MFA? 

[Aptic]

Has Bell stopped using MFA to login into your account?  I no longer get asked.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

MFA/2FA email authentication is still required. All Bell customers are required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA). You cannot opt out.

Bell has not shared any plans to stop MFA/2FA authentication on MyBell.

As is the case with any security measurement that is introduced, there will be continual future enhancements, tweaks and changes.

Take care.

[dks]

Thanks for your comments. Historically, Bell has had serious issues with spammers hijacking Bell email accounts and then using bots to do their work. Bell no longer allows creation of new email accounts. The use of 2FA is the latest security response. Many organizations and companies use 2FA to secure their accounts. Banks, financial institutions, Loblaw, the Canada Revenue Agency, Google, Microsoft, all use 2FA. The list goes on and on. 

One solution I have found is to use a password vault program. It can create random passwords for accounts or store your own created passwords for your use. A paid service is better than a free program. It is integrated with your web browser and pops up when needed. I can log in to the Bell web site in seconds, with a couple of clicks. I occasionally see a Recaptcha test. 

Bell has a choice. Give us higher level account security or receive criticism for not giving us enough security. What they have done is try to find a happy medium. 

[Aptic]

I never asked to opt out.  My question was why am I no longer being asked for it when I log in?  On my desktop, I enter my username and password and I gain access.  They used to send a code to my phone, but no longer.