To ease the transition to 2FA, below are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. If you can’t find the answer to your inquiry here, visit the Get Help page for more documentation.
2FA is a form of security that protects an account with two layers of authentication. The first layer is a PIN number or password, something that you know. The second factor is something you physically have, such as a device. For example, a bank account uses 2FA for security by requiring both a PIN and a debit card. The School District's 2FA provider is a company named Duo Security (Duo for short).
After you enroll in 2FA, when you log in to your Windber Area School District Google Account, you will enter your username and password (something you know) as you do today, and then use your smartphone or another device (something you have) to verify your identity. One of the many benefits of using DUO and 2FA we are going to be eliminating a password. With DUO we will use the password that you use to log in to a Windows Computer here at the school. Your "Google Password" will no longer be needed.
Requiring 2FA is an important part of ongoing efforts to secure the online identity and personal information of all Windber Area School District Google account holders, as well as protect the schools, intellectual property, and institutional data.
Any Windber Area School District employee, coach, volunteer, or PTO member who has access to our Google Workspace is required to enroll in 2FA.
At this time Students are not required to enroll in 2FA.
Yes. You are encouraged to enroll at least two devices (such as a smartphone, tablet, and/or office landline phone) with 2FA to avoid difficulties with verifying your identity if your only enrolled device is unavailable.
No. You will only be prompted to use 2FA when logging in to a 2FA-protected service or system. We will continue to add frequently used online services and systems to the list of those protected by 2FA. Right now our focus is on our Google Workspace account which also logs us into our financial systems and in the future will also log us into our PowerSchool System.
Duo is the company that provides the 2FA service used by the university. Duo Mobile is the app that can be downloaded and installed on smartphones and tablets. The app provides push notifications and passcodes, two of the methods that can be used to verify your identity when logging in to any 2FA-protected service or system.
What if I lose my cell phone?
Contact WASD IT department immediately if you lose your cell phone or suspect that it’s been stolen. A member of the IT Department will disable 2FA and help you log in using another cell or landline phone or hardware token. While it’s important that you contact IT Department if you lose your cell phone, remember that your password will still protect your account.
To re-enable push notifications on your iPhone if they have been disabled, go to Settings on your iPhone and select “Notifications.” From there, you can re-enable push notifications for the application.
Yes. Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone and expand the Windber Area School District entry to receive a six-digit passcode. On the Duo verification screen in your web browser, select “Enter a Passcode,” type the six-digit code into the “Passcode” field, and hit “Log In.” This option will work without an internet connection and/or cellular data service.
Yes. Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone and expand the Windber Area School District entry to receive a six-digit passcode. Generating passcodes does not send any kind of message, use data, nor incur any data or text messaging costs. You can generate passcodes even when you are not connected to a network.
We are going to have it set up to not ask for 2FA here at Windber Area School District when you are in our buildings and on our network. We are working with DUO to set that up.
When you are not in our buildings on a District Device you will be 2FA to login into our Google Workspace. You will not be able to login to our Google Workspace outside of the United States and also from any VPN-connected networks.
Do I still need to change my password regularly if I use 2FA?
Yes. It’s recommended that you use 2FA and change your password regularly to enhance your security.
Additionally, if you suspect your account or password has been compromised, immediately contact the WASD IT Department.
Select “Deny” in your Duo app if you did not initiate the request. Then contact the WASD IT Department.
Both the Duo Mobile app and the Duo prompt collect information from your device when you open the app or use it log in.
The information collected includes:
Attributes such as hardware model, operating system, unique user and device identifiers, and characteristics
Connection information (including the name of a mobile operator or ISP, language and time zone, and mobile phone number)
IP address
Yes. During the Duo enrollment process, users with smartphones will be prompted to download Duo Mobile and use Duo Push notifications for secondary authentication and access to university systems and services.
If you are using a smartphone to enroll in Duo and you are not prompted to download Duo Mobile, it’s because your device’s phone number is already associated with an activated Duo mobile account. To enroll in Duo Mobile using the same device and phone number, you will see a prompt requiring you to verify ownership of the device via a phone call or SMS text delivered passcode.