86 percent of NC State employees enrolled in 2FA

The Wolfpack community heard the call to protect the Pack, and more than 86 percent of employees responded enabling Google 2-Step Verification and Duo Security by the university’s mandatory Oct. 31 deadline.

To defend against numerous cyber threats, including phishing attacks, NC State required last March all university employees — including faculty, staff, student employees, no-pay employees, and retirees — to enroll by Oct. 31 in Google 2-Step and Duo. These two-step login processes enable users to log in securely to many campus technology services and prevent up to 98 percent of all phishing compromises.

This enrollment effort required the cooperation of 25,000 employees, as well as campus IT staff, to meet the deadline. Employees were encouraged to enroll early to avoid loss of account services and a lengthy wait to regain access to services.  

And many heeded the warning. From Nov. 1-3, the NC State Help Desk reported a mere 130 calls from campus users who required Google 2-Step or Duo support. On average, the Help Desk receives 150 to 200 calls daily from users who need email and phone support.

Those who have not yet enrolled in 2FA include unpaid faculty, access only no-pay employees (e.g., retirees) and temporary employees who maintain active accounts. These individuals were locked out of their accounts on Oct. 31 due to non compliance. They will have to contact the Help Desk to regain access to their Google accounts, but can self-enroll in Duo to access many online campus services.

2FA for New Employees
When new employees join the Wolfpack community, they will have 30 days from their first login to a university system or application to enroll in both Google 2-Step and Duo. OIT will send enrollment reminders to employees during this time period.

More than 90 percent of new employees will learn about the mandatory 2FA enrollment requirement via Human Resources’ New Hire OnBoarding Process. OIT and HR are working together to include mandatory 2FA enrollment information in the New Hire Checklist and in new employee email notifications.

Supervisors and HR reps should also encourage all of their employees, especially temporary and student employees, to enroll in Google 2-Step and Duo as soon as possible.

Training Opportunities

OIT will continue to offer a monthly workshop to help employees enroll in 2FA and learn more about authentication methods. To register, visit REPORTER.

The next phase of the 2FA project requires service contacts of Google generic accounts to enroll their accounts in 2FA by Wednesday, Dec. 13.