MFA is an extra sign-in step after typing in your username and password to gain access to your account. This extra verification step occurs with a secure application installed on your phone or tablet, and will only prompt you when working from a personal device or away from campus. This is important because passwords can be stolen by criminals and without a second step, the criminals will have access to everything you do.
Our accounts are connecting us to more apps and services over the internet. At the same time cyberattacks are increasing. Passwords can be stolen or guessed and are proving inadequate to protect our accounts. The additional sign-in methods of MFA significantly reduce the chances that our accounts can be used by cyber criminals even if our password gets compromised. MFA is the new normal level of security that is required.
We prefer the use of an authenticator app that is not tied to your phone number and can be used on WiFi. The app can be installed on smartphones or tablets and can be put on more than one device.
Another more advanced method is to use a USB security key. The key is inserted into the computer or device you are logging into college systems from and will act as a verification method.
It is important to set up two or more methods so that if you have trouble with one method, you can use another. For example, having the app on your smart phone but also having your home phone be available in case you lose your smart phone.
All students and employees are required to set up MFA; however, there are different options you can choose. MFA will prompt you for an additional sign-in method when you are using a personal device on or off campus or in certain situations such as connecting with the VPN.
If you are using your personal computer to access work systems, using your personal phone for MFA is the most convenient way to verify that it is you signing in and not a criminal.
Another more advanced method is to use a USB security key. The key is inserted into the computer or device you are logging into college systems from and will act as a verification method.
You can also use a USB security key if you have one. If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Service Desk for more information.
MFA should only prompt you when using personal computers to access college systems. As long as you do not try to log in to a college system from a personal device, MFA will not prompt you. The benefit is that your account will still be protected from criminals trying to log in remotely as you.
MFA has been set up to prompt you to verify it is you signing in when you are using a personal computer or device. MFA may prompt you in certain circumstances when signing in off campus, such as when using the college VPN.
When accessing College services from the internet or through personal devices MFA will prompt you, but that device will then be remembered for an extended period of time, keeping MFA prompts to a reasonable amount.
We have intentionally set up MFA to prompt you as few times as possible. We want to differentiate you signing in from a criminal trying to sign in as you.
With college-issued laptops and desktops, the chance of a criminal having that computer and having stolen your password is very slight. MFA should not prompt you on college-issued computers.
For most applications, MFA will only prompt you once every 90 days.
While MFA for Camosun College is specific to our organization, the principles and methods are the same for any online service that offers it. You can use the same phone numbers and authentication apps for many different services. For example, you can use the same Microsoft Authentication app to add a verification sign-in method for work and also to protect your Amazon account.
Because MFA has been set up to be minimally impactful, it may seem like it isn’t working. If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Service Desk for more information.
You can add, remove and change your sign-in methods here:
https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info
If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Service Desk for more information.