Multifactor authentication, provided by Duo Security (Faculty/Staff) and Microsoft (Students), adds another layer of security to your online accounts when using MyVille credentials by requiring two “factors” to verify your identity when you log in to a service: something you know (such as your password) and something only you have (such as your mobile phone, on which you will receive a login confirmation notice).
Threats from phishing scams, malicious software, and compromised passwords are constantly increasing and pose an immediate risk to your privacy and the security of University data. In response, the University has added multifactor authentication to some services that use the University’s single sign-on services that authenticate off of Office 365 (SMC Login Page). When accessing a service you will be prompted to enter your username and password on the Office 365 login page and complete the login process with multi-factor authentication.
Key Benefits
- Designed to prevent unauthorized access to your information and University data, including confidential data, intellectual property, and personally identifiable information.
- Protects your privacy regardless of what type of device you use to access Millersville services and regardless of whether you access Millersville services while connected to the University’s wired network, the University’s wireless network, or an external network.
- Provides several options for your second authentication factor, including options that enable you to use multifactor authentication when you are in an area without wireless access or cell phone service.
Why is this important?
The University is always under constant attack from the outside world by bad actors or hackers. With so many methods a cyber criminal can attack with it is imperative to keep our accounts secure. We constantly see spam emails, phishing emails, brute force attacks on account passwords, social engineering attempts, and more. Below is a image captured from our Next Gen firewall that shows how many connections were blocked and how many allowed. We are constantly under attack.
What can I do to be more secure?
Being secure is not just the responsibility of IT, it is on everybody to maintain a secure posture online both at work and at home. One of the easiest things you can do at work is get signed up for MFA. Faculty and staff can use Duo MFA while students will use Microsoft Authenticator. Currently Office 365 and Adobe Cloud are being protected by MFA. In the coming months more services will be secured by MFA. If you are ready to enroll in MFA, please contact us at muncsam@millersville.edu.
Knowledge is power. If you missed todays session on Cyber Security Principles and IT Town Hall, you can view the recording at the following address: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/185f3382-8e3f-4276-8c51-145b046ce5a1.