Arkansas Tech is investing in ways to keep your account and information secure. The latest addition to our account security features is Duo Multifactor Authentication (Duo MFA). MFA couples your password (something you know) with a secondary authorization from a device (something you have).
Why do I need MFA?
It is becoming increasingly easier for your password to be compromised either through phishing attacks, illegitimate emails, or malicious software on your computer. MFA protects your account from unauthorized access by requiring a pre-approved secondary device to be available while logging in. These devices are complicated to duplicate or compromise due to the nature of their design.
How does Duo MFA work?
After you have enrolled in Duo MFA, subsequent logins to ATU systems will send a notification to your mobile device to verify the login. A mobile device running the Duo app is the recommended method to verify the login. Alternatively, Duo can use MFA tokens or SMS messages to generate a one-time passcode that you can use to verify the login. MFA tokens will be available from the Office of Information Systems.
How is Duo MFA different from Office 365 MFA?
Some people have already signed up for MFA through Office 365; however, Office 365 MFA only protects your ATU email. Duo MFA will protect as many systems as possible, including Email, Blackboard, Webex, and VPN services. OIS is also working to protect OneTech, Banner, and their related services with Duo. Additionally, Duo MFA offers alternative methods for verifying your login.
If you are using the Microsoft Authenticator app today, you will need to enroll in Duo MFA starting May 17, 2021.
Is MFA Required?
Starting today, any ATU faculty, staff, or student can submit a request to enable Duo MFA for their ATU account. Over the summer, OIS will be enabling Duo MFA on all accounts on the following schedule.
- May 17, 2021 – Current Office 365 MFA users
- June 7, 2021 – All Faculty and Staff
- July 1, 2021 – All currently enrolled students
How do I get started?
At this time, you can request that MFA for your account by submitting a request through the OIS support portal. To find out more about Duo MFA, you can view our solution articles on the topic.
Additionally, you can view this quick video for getting started with Duo.
Training sessions for Duo will be available next week. Keep an eye out for further announcements from OIS on the OIS Website.
If you have any questions, please contact our Campus Support Center at campussupport@atu.edu or 479.968.0646.