Incorrectly set email service prevents admin from finishing Multi-Factor Authentication process

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Issue

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) requires the user to follow up with a sent email to finish authentication.
• Email service was incorrectly set in Server Administration > Mail preventing the administrator to log in.
• How can the administrator log in to fix the Email service configuration?

Environment

• Liferay DXP 7.4, 7.3

Resolution

• If there are other administrators, they should try to log in and disable MFA until the email service is correctly configured.
• If that is not possible, the other option is to disable MFA with OSGi config files:
  1. Execute the SQL query:
     

     select * from Configuration_ where configurationid like 'com.liferay.multi.factor.authentication.email.otp.configuration.MFAEmailOTPConfiguration%'

  2. Create a new file for each of the results with:
     • File name: the value of the column configurationid from previous query adding the extension .config.
     • Content:the value of the column dictionary but changing enabled=B"true" to enabled=B"false".
  3. Create another file with:
     • File name: com.liferay.multi.factor.authentication.web.internal.system.configuration.MFASystemConfiguration.config
     • Content:

       disableGlobally=B"true"
       service.pid="com.liferay.multi.factor.authentication.web.internal.system.configuration.MFASystemConfiguration"

  4. Stop the server.
  5. Place the created .config files in the directory $LIFERAY_HOME/osgi/configs/.
  6. In portal-ext.properties set setup.wizard.enabled=true.
  7. Start the server and follow the wizard to establish the admin data.
  8. Stop the server.
  9. Delete the file portal-wizard.properties that has been created and set setup.wizard.enabled=false in portal-ext.properties.
  10. Start the server and set the new password.
  11. Stop the server again and delete the .config files added to $LIFERAY_HOME/osgi/configs/ before.
  12. Start the server again.
• If MFA is needed again it will be necessary to uncheck the configuration Disable Multi-Factor Authentication in Control Panel > System Settings > Security > Multi-Factor Authentication, before setting the option in Control Panel > Instance Settings > Security > Multi-Factor Authentication.

Additional Information

• Reset the admin user password