Starting Tuesday, February 22, 2022, University Information Technology (UIT) will turn on Duo two-factor authentication (2FA) to access certain U online applications and resources for all students, affiliates, and alumni. This requirement will be enforced on a rolling basis for students first, then affiliates and alumni. U faculty and staff, including student employees, and University of Utah Health employees are already required to use Duo 2FA.
Users will receive an email 24 to 48 hours before UIT activates the 2FA requirement for their U accounts and resources.
For more information about Duo 2FA, please visit this IT Knowledge Base article.
Duo 2FA will be required to access all university resources that use Central Authentication Services (CAS), such as:
- UMail from any email application — e.g., Microsoft Outlook (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS) and Apple Mail
- Box
- Campus Information Services (CIS)
- Canvas
- Microsoft Office 365 applications — e.g., OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams
- The Office of Software Licensing web store
Please note that some services, such as the Palo Alto GlobalProtect virtual private network (VPN), currently require Duo 2FA regardless of role.
To prepare for the change, if you haven’t yet done so, please set up a Duo 2FA account via the Duo Management Portal. Duo’s mobile app works on smartphones and tablets, and is the preferred method of authentication. You may also purchase a Duo token for $23 through the U Campus Store.
2FA provides an extra layer of security by requiring a user to log in with a username and password plus a second method of verifying the user’s identity. This helps prevent unauthorized access to university email and online applications as a result of phishing schemes and other scams. The U’s Information Security Office (ISO) encourages the university community to review every Duo 2FA push notification for authenticity. If you did not request a Duo prompt, you should deny it. By denying unexpected Duo prompts, you protect your account and enable the ISO to investigate the incident.
If you have questions or need technical assistance, please contact the Main Campus IT Help Desk at 801-581-4000, option 1, or visit Knowledge Commons on Level 2 of Marriott Library.