The HID service will be discontinued in March 31st 2023. Please migrate to the TOTP before that date |
Time-based One-Time Passwords are only required for login access to:
Time-based One-Time Passwords are NOT required for logging in to the ECMWF web site, ecCharts, to use the WebAPI to download data from MARS or the CDSAPI to download data from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS). |
The ActivIdentity (HID) security token has been used for over a decade at ECMWF, replacing similar RSA tokens which were used before. These tokens provide a second factor for user authentication alongside a user's password, enabling strong authentication for security sensitive services such as login access to ECMWF's Unix systems and services such as ECPDS.
ECMWF is replacing the ActivIdentity tokens with the use of a Time-Based One-Time Password authenticator application, more accurately known as TOTP Client ("time-based one time password"). Typically, the TOTP clients are implemented on a smartphone, but they can also be installed in your laptop or any other computing devices. The Client is synchronised with systems at ECMWF by following the instructions at TOTP: How to activate. Clients usually use PIN codes, or biometric features, for protection.
In the case of a TOTP App installed on a smartphone, after the initial synchronisation, the One-Time Password ( OTP ) is displayed in the application and automatically changes every 30 seconds.
TOTP Apps have the following beneficial properties:
A few users have had good experiences with
Of course, with OTP being a standard, you can find many other apps.
See for more information Using Time-based One-Time Passwords, and in particular TOTP: How to activate and TOTP: How to use