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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Madilyn Bloomer
Student, Virginia Tech
348 Shanks Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24060
(434) 429-1207
bloom22@vt.edu

Security feature being implemented at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. April 26, 2016 Beginning July 4, more than 32,000 students and 13,000
employees at Virginia Tech will be required to use two-factor authentication, a security feature
implemented by the universitys central information technology department.
The purpose of this security feature is to help students and employees avoid phishing scams and
other related vulnerabilities that have targeted Virginia Tech in the past. Scott Midkiff, vice
president for information technology and chief information officer, stated the single password is
simply no longer sufficient as the only means for authentication.
The two-factor authentication process requires individuals to enroll a secondary physical device,
such as a cell phone or tablet, to log in to Virginia Tech websites. Midkiff said that although
two-factor authentication certainly does not address all cybersecurity, it does greatly help
students, faculty, and staff in protecting their own data and the universitys data.
After enrolling a secondary device and logging into the universitys website, the user has to
confirm that they logged in on their primary device using their secondary device to gain access to
the website. Users also have the option to be remembered for 7 days; in that case, no second
authentication is needed to be able to log in for the week.
Karina Sanchez, a sophomore from Richmond majoring in Civil Engineering, said she like[s]
the option to be remembered weekly because of its convenience, but there are also negative
attributions because it poses as a threat and makes my account vulnerable to potential hackers.

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