--- title: Disable email OTP for multi-factor authentication description: Manage how two-factor authentication is applied on your instance. locale: en-US canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/platform-security/instance-security-hardening-settings/sc-enable-email-otp-for-multi-factor-authentication.html release: brazil product: Instance Security Hardening Settings classification: instance-security-hardening-settings topic_type: reference last_updated: "2026-09-10" reading_time_minutes: 1 breadcrumb: [Authentication, Hardening settings, Platform Security] --- # Disable email OTP for multi-factor authentication Manage how two-factor authentication is applied on your instance. The **glide.authenticate.multifactor.email.otp.enabled** property controls whether a token for the second authentication factor can be sent via email. Email is considered a weak multi-factor authentication \(MFA\) factor which an attacker is more likely to gain access into for defeating MFA. If the property is set to **false**, the user doesn't see the email OTP option on the MFA validation screen. If the property is **true**: - The email factor is shown in cases where the email factor policy is inactive and no other 2fa registered. - The email factor is shown if the email factor policy is active and evaluated to **true**. - The email factor is not shown if the email factor policy is active and evaluated to **false**. ## More information
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Configuration name | **glide.authenticate.multifactor.email.otp.enabled** |
| Configuration type | System Properties \(/sys\_properties\_list.do\) |
| Data type | Boolean |
| Recommended value | false |
| Default value | true |
| Category | [Authentication](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/brazil/markdown/platform-security/instance-security-hardening-settings/sc-authentication.md) |
| Security risk | - Severity score: 3.1 - CVSS score: Low - Security risk details: An attacker may successfully bypass MFA when they have the user's password. |
| Functional impact | Users who rely solely on the email one time passcode as their multi-factor authentication method will no longer see that option on the MFA validation screen. They must enroll an alternative factor such as an authenticator app, a hardware security key, or SMS before this property is turned off, otherwise they may be unable to complete login until an administrator enrolls an alternative factor for them. |
| Dependencies and prerequisites | None |
| References | [Email as an MFA factor](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/brazil/markdown/platform-security/authentication/mfa-with-email.md) |