Employee Office 365 to require two-factor authentication on Monday, April 15

Ryan Real, Director, CCIT Communications
April 8, 2019

In keeping with recent cybersecurity enhancements to protect the University and the Clemson community, two-factor authentication will soon be required for employees accessing Office 365 (including email). The two-week implementation process covering all employees will begin on Monday, April 15.

Clemson began offering Duo authentication for Office 365 on an opt-in basis beginning in October 2018. Hundreds of employees have voluntarily enrolled, providing valuable feedback to make this upcoming implementation as smooth as possible. This change will also affect student employees who access Office 365. As always, you can manage your two-factor authentication devices and preferences at 2fa.clemson.edu.

How does Duo help protect my Office 365/email?

Duo on Office 365 can help prevent unauthorized access to your email and files, even if your password has been compromised. Think about all the information you have in your employee email or OneDrive. Someone who successfully steals your username and password (via phishing or otherwise) can automatically login to your Office 365 account from the attacker’s location. With Duo on Office 365, the attacker would be unable to complete the Duo authentication and your Office 365 account would be protected from compromise.

When will I have to begin using Duo for Office 365? 

Users are being added to Duo for Office 365 in four groups, with the first group being enrolled on Monday, April 15. This enrollment will be automatic and no action will be required on your part. All users will be enrolled by April 24, 2019. 

How often would I see the Duo prompt?

You should only be prompted for Duo authentication when not connected to a Clemson wired, wireless (eduroam), or VPN network and attempting to connect to an Office 365 application or email for the first time via phone, tablet, or computer. You may also be prompted for Duo if your device has not recently connected to an on-campus network. Some legacy clients that do not support Duo authentication will not prompt you and you can continue using them as normal. In short: you should never see a prompt if you’re connected to a campus network. This is about keeping cybercriminals from trying to get remote access to your email.

What happens if I get the Duo prompt and I’m on-campus and not trying to login to my email or an Office 365 app?

If you receive a Duo authentication prompt (push, text, or phone call) on your device without logging into a corresponding service that requires Duo, decline the Duo prompt (marking it as fraud) and immediately change your Clemson password. This is an indication that your credentials have been compromised and attackers are attempting to login to your Duo-protected account. Contact the CCIT Service Desk at (864) 656-3494 for further instructions.

Will this affect what email client I can use?

As long as you are using Outlook 2016 and newer or Apple Mail on your laptop or desktop and Outlook for iOS/Android or Mail for iOS 11+, or native Android mail, you will still be able to use your email normally. Clients using POP/IMAP and SMTP are not supported.  

For more information on two-factor authentication, please visit our Knowledge Base article.

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