Effective Tuesday, July 23, 2019, Mason is changing the way new users of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) verify their identity with PatriotWeb and other applications that use 2FA.

New enrollees in Mason’s 2FA environment, including faculty, staff, and students, will no longer be able to use text messages and/or phone calls to verify their identities. To verify identities, new users can:

• Get a Duo Push or Passcode through the Duo Mobile app on their smartphone or devices
• Get a Passcode from a Yubikey (Available for purchase at Patriot Tech)
• Get 10 one-time Passcodes via Mason’s 2FA site

Mason is transitioning to improved policies and standards to follow national guidelines for online security and safety. Using these methods to verify identities is safer and lessens the risks to users.

For more information on supported 2FA methods, see the List of 2FA Authentication Options.

The Duo Mobile app is available for free in the app store on smartphones or other mobile devices. Instructions for both setting up the app or Yubikey and generating a list of one-time Passcodes are available in the ITS Knowledge Base.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact the ITS Support Center.