Methods and systems are provided for two-step hardware authentication for machine monitoring systems. In one embodiment, a machine monitoring system can include a first hardware lock having a locked-state and an unlocked-state. The monitoring system can also include a second hardware lock including a sensor to detect first identification indicia of a user. The machine monitoring system can further include a data port configured to operatively couple to a computing device of the user. The data port can have an enable state and a disable state. The monitoring machine can include a processor operatively coupled to the first hardware lock, the second hardware lock, and the data port. The processor can be configured to receive data characterizing the activation of the first hardware lock and the first identification indicia of the user, and activate the data port to the computing device of the user.