WHAT'S HAPPENING?
On Wednesday (4/6/22), OIT announced changes to the VPN services for guest accounts that will occur on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, but didn’t distribute the announcement very widely.  This change will concern only faculty and staff members who have collaborators with guest accounts using VPN services to access systems on campus. To say it a different way, if you haven’t created any guest accounts for collaborators, then this is likely of no concern to you.

Starting April 12th, Duo Two-Factor will be required for all VPN access.  This will disrupt guest account VPN access if the account holder hasn’t enabled Duo two-factor access.  This can be easily resolved by following these instructions to enable Duo:

Sponsored guest accounts which are using the VPN can be enrolled in two-factor authentication at passport.gatech.edu, via self-service. Additional information can be found in the knowledge article - How do I enroll myself (self-enroll) in Two-factor Authentication. 

If one of your collaborators contacts you with this issue, please ask them to follow the above instructions. The complete text of OIT’s message is attached below.  TSO is available to help where needed, but ultimately the Duo setup must be completed by the individual holding the account.

———

Dear Georgia Tech IT Community: 

Today's Daily Digest featured a message regarding cyber threats posed by rising conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, particularly stemming from our nation's support of Ukraine. The Office of Information Technology and Cyber Security has partnered across the IT community to heighten information security through increased patching, backups, and other protection measures on Institute-managed systems, services, and equipment.  

In support of this effort, OIT will also be enforcing two-factor authentication when signing into all VPN services (including enterprise and departmental VPNs) starting Tuesday, April 12.  

Sponsored guest accounts which are using the VPN can be enrolled in two-factor authentication at passport.gatech.edu, via self-service. Additional information can be found in the knowledge article

How do I enroll myself (self-enroll) in Two-factor Authentication. 

Users should not experience any additional change to their VPN services. They will just be prompted to complete two-factor authentication via Duo when accessing VPN after April 12.  

If you have any questions regarding this upcoming change, please contact - oit@gatech.edu.