Eastern students say Eastern’s new duo security requirement for email, paw, and D2l login is annoying and unnecessary.
On August 15th, all enrolled students received an email from Eastern notifying them of the Duo security authentication code that students would need to sign up for when school starts. The email also stated that Eastern faculty and staff have been using the Duo security system for over a year.
On September 7th, duo security became available to students. This was an invitation for students to sign up and register their accounts. After September 14, Duo security would be required automatically and students would be forced to create an account.
Students must download the Duo Mobile app to set up an account in order for students to be able to sign in.
Essentially, when students want to log into their email, paws, or D2l account, they will encounter a screen asking how they would like to authenticate that they are logging in.
The options students have to confirm they are are:
- Push notifications via the Duo Mobile App. Students would need to confirm or deny that it is them to access the account.
- Receiving a phone call on the registered mobile device and inserting a code.
- Entering a six-digit passcode located on the Duo Mobile app.
If a phone isn’t the best option for students, they can buy a YubiKey from Martin Luther King Jr. University Union that others can use to sign in.
The extra layer of security was a bit impractical, according to students. When they log into their accounts, they are delayed by the double verification system, potentially impacting limited time moments for students logging in and on the go.
Jaden Woerner, a freshman major in psychology, commented negatively.
“It’s kind of annoying when I try to log into the D2l, then I have to go to my phone to prove it,” Woerner said.
The purpose of secondary security is to make it harder for people to hack into other people’s accounts.
“I think it’ll help if someone tries to hack into your account or something if they know the password, but other than that I think it’s just kind of annoying,” Woerner said.
Miya Bills, a sophomore in Human Services, also commented negatively on the extra security measures.
“I think the duo safety is pretty unnecessary,” said Bills. “We already have a password to access our own email. So I feel like we need to hand in our homework, it’s extra work having to bypass a security login.”
Cam’ron Hardy can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]
