In an effort to better safeguard personal information, Colorado State University will soon require DUO Two-Factor Authentication for Microsoft 365 email access and other services within the suite.
On Oct. 4, DUO Two-Factor Authentication will become required for all faculty, staff and students to access their email, login to Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 services. University community members are encouraged to register for Duo Two-Factor Authentication at duo.colostate.edu.
Once DUO is set up and authenticated for Microsoft 365 applications, users will not have to do this again unless they change their password or connect from a different device.
As students are returning to campus, CSU is making a significant push to encourage students to register before the Oct. 4 deadline, said Security Awareness Specialist Kelly L. Poto.
“At CSU, 82% of the breaches that have occurred since May successfully targeted student accounts,” Poto said. “Our campus leadership recognizes that DUO implementation is the single best action we can take to protect our campus community.”
Those who do not register for DUO before Oct. 4 will be locked out of their email and other Microsoft 365 services until they register.
What is DUO Two-Factor Authentication?
Over the past several years, Central IT has been expanding the existing DUO authentication process to better protect against cyber attacks, which can shut down a campus for days while systems are locked down and data is restored.
DUO is a tool that provides two-factor authentication to better protect accounts, such as email, by requiring an additional piece of information beyond a typical username and password.
“Information security breaches are happening constantly and all around us,” Poto said. “Several of our neighboring Colorado institutions have recently suffered breaches that compromised student information.”
Setting up Duo Two-Factor Authentication
For more information on how to set up Duo Two-Factor Authentication, visit duo.colostate.edu.
