Duo is Ithaca College's multi-factor authentication (MFA) tool, which requires an extra authentication step (most commonly done by approving a prompt on your smart phone) when logging into certain IC systems such as email. This extra step dramatically decreases the ability for someone to gain unauthorized access to your account.
Click here to go directly to enrollment and setup information
ZDNet news article - the effectiveness of MFA
How does Duo work?
Logging in to your Homerconnect account, Canvas account, Outlook email and other Office 365 applications, such as OneNote and OneDrive for Business, will require your Netpass username and password, as usual, along with a second authentication step using one of these methods:
- Approving a prompt from the Duo Mobile app on your smart phone
- Entering a code provided by the Duo Mobile app
- Entering a code provided by a small device called a "token" (intended for people who do not have a cell phone)
Once you successfully authenticate, Duo can be set to remember you for up to 90 days. For more information on this, see the Duo FAQ
What applications are supported for Duo?
The following applications are supported by Ithaca College for Duo.
- Microsoft Outlook on the Web
- Windows and macOS Microsoft Office 2016 and later
- Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive for Business, Planner, Teams, Skype For Business
- iOS and Android Microsoft Office applications
- Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive for Business, Planner, Teams, Skype For Business
What applications are not compatible with Duo?
The following applications do NOT work with Duo (these applications cannot perform the extra authentication process). We recommend moving all Ithaca College mail, calendar, contacts, reminders and notes to Microsoft Outlook. Please see under Further Reading for instructions on setting up outlook on various platforms.
- Windows: Thunderbird
- macOS (before Mojave): Apple Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Notes
- iOS: (if your iOS is lower than iOS 11: Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Notes) Gmail
- Android: Gmail app, Calendar
Why are these applications not supported by Duo?
These applications do not support "Modern Authentication," which is required for the extra authentication step to work. More information on modern authentication
How to enroll and set up your device to use Duo
We highly recommend setting up at least two separate multi-factor authentication devices to reduce the chances of losing access to your account if your primary authentication device is forgotten, lost or damaged. For instructions on setting up an additional device see the Duo Configuration Guide
For iOS, Android:
- From your computer, visit https://www.ithaca.edu/duo/device and log in with your Netpass username and password.
- Click Start Setup to begin the Duo enrollment.
- Select the type of device you will use to verify your authentication (mobile phone, tablet).
- Click Continue.
- Select the country for your mobile phone, and enter the complete phone number, including the area code.
- Click the checkbox to verify the number is correct, and click Continue.
- Select the type of phone you have, and click Continue.
- On your phone, download the Duo Mobile app from your App Store.
- Once you have downloaded the app onto your phone, click I Have Duo Mobile Installed.
- On your phone, open Duo Mobile app and then tap the (+) button on the top right corner of the app
- Duo Mobile may ask for permission to use your phone's camera. You should allow this as it is used to scan the QR code on your computer or tablet's screen.
- Scan the QR code that is displayed on your computer or tablet. This will add "Ithaca College" within the Duo Mobile app.
- Click Continue. You are now ready to use Duo.
Note: The phone number of your device facilitates the setup process. If you are traveling abroad with a different number, the "send me a push" and "enter bypass code/passcode" function will still work. It will utilize Wifi connection for this function.
If you are traveling where there is no internet access for your cell phone, the passcode function in the app will also still work. The app has a "cache" of accepted passcodes that will allow you to still use your device.
- From your computer or tablet, visit https://www.ithaca.edu/duo/device and log in with your Netpass username and password.
- Click Start Setup to begin the Duo enrollment.
- Select the type of device you will use to verify your authentication (mobile phone, tablet, landline).
- Click Continue.
- Select the type of tablet you have, and click Continue.
- On your tablet, download the Duo Mobile app from your App Store.
- Once you have downloaded the app onto your tablet, click I have Duo Mobile installed.
- On your tablet, open Duo Mobile app and then tap the (+) button on the top right corner of the app.
- Duo Mobile may ask for permission to use your phone's camera. You should allow this as it is used to scan the QR code on your screen.
- Scan the QR code that is displayed on your computer or tablet. This will add a field called "Ithaca College" within the Duo Mobile App.
- Click Continue. You are now ready to use Duo.
Note: If you are traveling where there is no internet access for your tablet, the passcode function in the app will also still work. The app has a "cache" of accepted passcodes that will allow you to still use your device.
Duo also supports security hardware tokens (see image below) for users who do not have a cell phone. These devices must be purchased for about $22 from the Ithaca College Bookstore by the user or their department (at the department's discretion). These devices require additional in-person assistance by the Service Desk to set up (Job Hall 104).
Further Reading