SPU has seen an alarming increase in the number of attacks targeting the SPU community and computing systems in the last year (see blog posts: Password Safety Reminder and Mandatory Password Reset). Incidents of data loss and fraud are impacting increasing numbers of SPU employees.
External auditors and insurance providers have strongly recommended SPU provide Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) to all SPU Faculty, Staff and Student Employees. Enabling 2FA protects you and the sensitive personal, student and financial data you have access to.
What is Two-Factor Authentication?
Two-Factor Authentication is a process by which you use both a password (something you know) and a registered security device such as a smart phone (something you have) to log into services. It has become a common practice for many services (Facebook, Google, Banks, etc.) to offer, or even mandate, 2FA for user accounts. This technology ensures that even if a malicious user manages to acquires your account password, they will still be unable to log into the account without the something you have as well.
See this two-minute video from Duo Security for more information on what 2FA is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mvCeNsTa1g
How it Works
CIS has worked to make this additional security layer minimally intrusive in your day to day. When you enable 2FA and login you will be prompted to "authenticate" the login. The most common way to do so is to use an app installed on the your smart phone, as demonstrated in this 20-second video on the right.
Enrolling in Duo 2FA
There are three steps to initially setting up your account to use 2FA:
- Request the Duo 2FA Resource
- Setup 2FA Device
- Register Duo Account
For instructions and a video walk-through of how to setup your account for 2FA, see our Enrolling in Duo 2FA wiki article.
Services Protected by 2FA
All services that use SPU's Single Sign On (SSO) platform through login.spu.edu and all Microsoft Office 365 (O365) services are now protected by 2FA. Other services that authenticate using different methods cannot be configured to use 2FA at this time. CIS is currently exploring 2FA support for many of these products to secure them as well.
CIS HelpDesk Support and Hours
We're here to help! For more information about 2FA at SPU, please see these articles or contact the CIS HelpDesk: help@spu.edu
Office Hours
Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Extended Hours
(Telephone, email and classroom support, office visits by appointment)
Monday - Thursday 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
SPU will NEVER ask you to send your login credentials or other personal/confidential information via email. Your account credentials should not be shared with anyone.