Duo - Traveling and Planning Ahead with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Purpose

This article outlines important steps and recommendations to consider before traveling to ensure you can continue to authenticate with Duo Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), especially when network or cell service may be unreliable. Before continue, you may want to read and review our Duo - General Recommendations and Authentication Methods (link) article.

Plan Ahead

There are many options to authenticate with Duo MFA, and several will still function even if you find yourself without cell service or a stable network connection. Planning ahead and understanding the conditions you might encounter will help ensure you are prepared and able to log in. Try to answer these key questions before traveling:

  • Which second factor devices will you have access to during your travels?
    • Will you have access to a smartphone or tablet?
    • Will you have access to a (non-smart) cellphone?
    • Will you have access to a landline?
    • Do you have a hard token?
  • Will you have access to cellular service, mobile data, or WiFi?
  • Are you traveling to a country subject to export controls?

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Traveling to Export Controlled Countries?

The following countries and regions are under sanctions by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (O.F.A.C.) (link). All Duo authentication methods (Duo Mobile, Duo passcodes and SMS passcodes, phone calls, and hard tokens) will not function as they are blocked (link) within their borders:

  • Cuba (CU)
  • North Korea - Democratic People's Republic of Korea (KP)
  • Iran (IR)
  • Sudan (SD)
  • Syria (SY)
  • Crimea region (43)
  • Donetsk region (14)
  • Luhansk region (09)
  • Sevastopol region (40)

Please contact the ITS Help Desk (link) if you are planning to travel to any these countries or regions.

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Multi-Factor Authentication (Duo)
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) provides a layered approach to secure access to online accounts by requiring a user to present two (or more) distinct identifying "factors" before access is granted to the account or online resource. The first factor is commonly referred to as "something you know". At UH, this "something you know" would be your normal UH Login credentials (UH Username and password). This "something you know" username and password combination has been the most common method for authentication in the industry for decades, but has significant security weaknesses: used as the sole factor for authentication, this method is susceptible to brute force, credential stuffing, and phishing attacks and should a user's credentials be compromised, would allow immediate access to an attacker.