Error: "Invalid security code. Try again" or "Enter a valid security code"

Products

• VIP Service

Issue/Introduction

Authentication fails with an error:  "Invalid security code. Try again" or "Enter a valid security code" when manually entering a security code for authentication. 

Cause

The Symantec VIP mobile and desktop time-based apps use the device time as a reference to generate a new security code every 30-seconds. If the device time changes to an incorrect time, VIP security codes may fall out of sync and the code will fail during a validation attempt.  

Here's why:

• If the VIP Access app on your iPhone is launched for the first time on 01 Jan 2020 at 12:00:00 PM, the very first VIP security code will match that date and time.
• The next security code generated 30 seconds later will match 01 Jan 2020 at 12:00:30 PM, the next code will match 01 Jan 2020 at 12:01:00 PM, and so on. 
• The mapping between your credential ID, security codes, and the corresponding timestamps are synchronized with the VIP services in the cloud.  
• If the time on your device becomes incorrect by more than a few minutes, the security codes generated by the VIP Access become out of sync and are rejected by the VIP services.
• VIP PUSH authentications are not affected by the system time. PUSH is recommended whenever using a mobile token. 

Resolution

A time re-sync between your app and the VIP services can be done directly from the VIP Access Desktop app using the steps below.

Important: VIP Security codes are one-time use only. Never use the same security code more than once. 

1. Set the time zone and system time on your device to the correct values.
2. Security codes are time-forward only. Meaning, if a security code with timestamp 08:00 is used, any security code prior to that time will fail. Therefore, if your device clock was set incorrectly to a future time and you attempted to use a security code, you will need to set the clock back to the correct time, then let the clock pass beyond the time the security code was used. All codes will fail until then. 
3. Open VIP Access Desktop
4. Click on the icon in the top-left of the application window and select Settings.
   
5. Click Reset.
   
   
6. Test the security code using the steps below. 

For VIP Access for Mobile and VIP hard tokens, follow these steps:

1. Verify the time zone and system time on the device are correct.
2. Go to https://vip.symantec.com/.
3. Click on Test to the right of the phone image.
   
4. Enter the Credential ID in the provided field.
5. Click Continue.
6. Enter the security code from your device. If the credential is working properly a success message will appear.
7. If it fails, wait for a new security code to generate and try again. You may need to repeat this step 2-3 times. 
8. Click Done.

If the tests continue to fail, uninstall\reinstall the app. This will generate a new credential ID -- contact your organization helpdesk to assign the new credential ID to your account. 

If the credential is a hard token, it likely needs to be replaced.

Additional Information

• The life expectancy of a hard token in general under normal conditions is ~5 years or 15,000 security codes.
• Batteries are not replaceable.
• Manufactured Year/Month are usually found at the rear side of the device.