| Flinders University takes cyber security extremely seriously and has made significant investments in people and technology in recent years to address the threat of cyber-attack, including a new security step being phased in for Okta use.
As the number of targeted cyber-attacks on organisational systems has grown, so has the range of protective measures taken by Information and Digital Services (IDS) to secure University systems and information. To continue to secure systems and protect staff and student personal data, IDS is introducing an additional verification step for staff accessing services via Okta. Known as ‘Multi-Factor Authentication’, the additional security feature will require staff to verify their log-in attempt after their password has been correctly verified. To verify log-in, staff may use Google Authenticator, SMS codes sent to mobile phones, or Okta Verify – which IDS believes provides the most seamless login experience. As a security feature already enabled and used by some staff in IDS, a wider implementation of Multi-Factor Authentication will provide the University and its staff with increased security and assurance. Multi-Factor Authentication will be implemented in a phased approach. Phase One: Now In the first phase of implementation, staff are invited to view the simple guidelines and enable Multi-Factor Authentication for their accounts, although it is not mandated at this stage. In the second phase of implementation, Multi-Factor Authentication will become a mandatory security feature for a select group of staff across the University. Staff included in this phase will be contacted in August with further guidance. Further information will be published to support staff as implementation dates are confirmed. Published guidelines are available regarding the introduction of Multi-Factor Authentication, or contact the IT Security team for any questions at ictsecurity@flinders.edu.au. |