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How to Share a Security Device

Overview: 

IBKR allows individuals to maintain multiple user names within a single account or across distinct accounts under their control.  Individuals who do not wish to maintain multiple physical security devices may elect to consolidate and share a single device across their users. The prerequisites and the procedure for sharing devices are outlined below.

Note: Clients using the IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key) should not use the present device sharing procedure, since the IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key) allows multiple users to be enabled directly from the IBKR Mobile app itself (menu item: Authenticate -> Add user). 
 
Background: 

Prerequisites

The possibility of sharing a physical security device will be granted only if ALL the conditions below are respected:

a) The participant users belong either to the same entity or to different entities but with the same identification data (Date of Birth, Citizenship, Country of Legal Residence, Identification Document type and number or Social Security Number for US Citizens and residents). 

b) The participant users do NOT have a temporary security device (Temporary Code, Online Security Code Card) currently assigned to them.

c) The physical device offering the highest level of protection has to be shared. In case all the devices offer the same level of protection, whichever of them can be eligible. You can check the security level of your device in the table below:

Security level

Device name

Device image
Highest Digital Security Card+ (DSC+)
Lowest Security Code Card (SLS card)
 
 

Procedure:

1. Among the possible candidates, identify the device offering the highest level of protection and the user that device belongs to. We will call that user the device owner

2. Log in to your Client Portal page with the requesting user (NOT the device owner)

3. Click on Menu icon in the top-left then select Settings and then User Settings
 
 4. Click on the wheel (Settings) close to Secure Login System
 
5a. In case your user does not have any active device, the system will display the SLS enrollment menu. Select the item "I already have access to a Secure Login Device under a different username" and click on Continue
 
5b. In any other case, the system will display the device list. Click on Share Device to proceed further
 
6. Enter the credentials of the device owner you identified at point 1. and click on Continue.

 
7. According to the SLS Device about to be shared, the system will display a security element (either Challenge Code or Index Numbers). Operate the SLS Device and, using the security element provided by the system, generate a response code. Enter the response code in the correspondent field and click on Continue.
 
8. Once you have reviewed the correctness of the information entered, click on Continue.

 
9. The system will display the status of your request (see note a. for details). Click OK to finalize the procedure.

 

NOTES:

a. In the vast majority of cases your sharing request will be automatically and immediately approved, processed and enforced. In case the approval of our Compliance department is needed, your request will stay in a pending status until this step has been cleared.

b. Once the device sharing request has been processed, you could keep the redundant device/s in a safe place. In the future you might decide to cancel the device sharing and reactivate those devices instead. If you do not feel the need to store them, you can send them (only DSC+) back to us following the instructions contained on this page:
 

c. Here below you can see the most common error messages and their causes:

- Less secure device: This error is returned if you set up the less secure token as the one to be shared. Please identify the most secure device and share that one.

- Different identification information:
This error is returned if the identification data of the entities/individuals involved in the sharing does not match. If the users belong to different entities/individuals, please notice that the token sharing will NOT be possible by design.
If the users belong in fact to the same entity/individual, the mismatch could be due, for example, to an outdated identification document on record. In this case, you can contact our Client services to have the data rectified.

 

 References:
  • Overview of the Secure Login System: KB1131 or ibkr.com/sls 
  • Multiple Two-Factor Authentication System (M2FS): KB2895
  • How to share the Security Login Device between two or more users: KB2481
  • How to opt back into the Secure Login System: KB2545
  • Security considerations following SLS opt-out: KB1198
  • Are there any charges or expenses associated with the security devices? KB1861
  • How to troubleshoot Client Portal Login Failures: KB1132
  • How to troubleshoot Trading Platform Login Failures: KB1133