As cybersecurity tools become more sophisticated, hackers shift toward targeting users, not computers. If a hacker can discover an authorized user’s password, they’re far less likely to sound any alarms as they access the university’s data and resources.
Computing has changed drastically in the past 30 years. We share and consume more data today than at any previous point in history. There are also more people attempting to make a living by stealing that data. It is time the ways we authenticate begin to catch up with modern needs. Multifactor authentication is a key piece to that puzzle.
Multifactor authentication (MFA), sometimes referred to as two-step or two-factor authentication, is an overly technical-sounding term for a very simple solution. Think of it as “password plus.” It operates on the assumption that just because someone knows your password, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are who they claim to be. It is an easy way to make sure that the only one using your credentials is you. It also helps prevent data breaches.
MFA is currently being used by USC students, faculty and staff for sites like my.sc.edu, PeopleSoft and myaccount.sc.edu. The Division of Information Technology will be turning on MFA for certain Office 365 applications for additional security.
To register for Duo:
1. Install the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone
2. Log in to myaccount.sc.edu and select Update Account Settings. Log in using your Network Username and password, answer your security question, and then select the Multifactor tab
3. Enter your mobile phone number, select mobile, choose your platform, then press submit
4. Select Activate beside your mobile phone number. A QR code will be displayed. (You will scan this code in a later step.)
5. Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone
6. On the app, press + at the top of the screen
7. Scan the QR code displayed on your computer
You’re enrolled! Students, faculty and staff will use Duo Mobile for websites with confidential information and for Office 365 applications such as Outlook for Email.
To register your new phone:
1. Log in to myaccount.sc.edu and select UpdateAccount Settings. Log in using your Network Username and password,
answer your security question, and then select the Multifactor tab.
2. Click the Delete button to remove your old phone.
3. Enter your mobile phone number, select mobile, choose your platform, then press
submit.
4. Click the Activate button under Activated?.
5. Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone, press and hold the DUO_PROTECTED University
of South Carolina entry, and choose Remove account.
6. Click the + sign in the upper right, and scan the QR code image to re-add the DUO_PROTECTED
University of South Carolina entry.
To reactivate your phone:
1. Log in to myaccount.sc.edu and select UpdateAccount Settings. Log in using your Network Username and password,
answer your security question, and then select the Multifactor tab.
2. Enter your mobile phone number, select mobile, choose your platform, then press
submit.
3. Click the Activate button under Activated?.
4. Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone, press and hold the DUO_PROTECTED University
of South Carolina entry, and choose Remove account.
5. Click the + sign in the upper right, and scan the QR code image. This will re-add
the DUO_PROTECTED University of South Carolina entry.
If you don’t have a mobile phone, you can use a home or work phone to access a Secure Authentication passcode through the Call Me feature. Any phone used for this purpose must be a direct line uniquely assigned to you. Make sure the number is one you can access quickly to receive the phone call providing a single-use passkey.
Contact the Service Desk at 803-777-1800 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Duo Security is a multifactor authentication service that provides additional security for access to institutional and personal data. Duo offers several options for authenticating users: a mobile push notification, one-button verification of identity to a smartphone, as well as voice and SMS verification. Ask your local systems administrator or SA contact if Duo Security is right for you.