You have to be able to log in to campo or StudOn to study at FAU. And student assistants need SSO logins to work at FAU, for example to log on to IdM, or to access files or edit WordPress websites via VPN. As of July 15, student assistants will only be able to log in if they have activated multi-factor authentication. This is a familiar concept that many people have come across either in connection with online banking or payment services such as Paypal. What should you do now? More information in this blog post.
Making data more secure at FAU
Most cyberattacks at universities could have been prevented with multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA increases security by requiring additional proof of identity alongside a password, thereby ensuring that stolen passwords alone are no longer sufficient. One option is to use an app that generates a new number code every 30 seconds. Take 10 minutes to set up MFA – otherwise you won’t be able to log in after July 15.
All student assistants at FAU will only be able to log in to campo, StudOn and other portals and instances at FAU as of July 15, 2026 if they have activated multi-factor authentication.
Here’s how
Setting up multi-factor authentication requires two steps:
- Set up a second factor (token) used to verify your account, which might be stored in a password manager on your laptop, personal smartphone or smartwatch.
- Activate MFA for IdM, SSO and VPN in the Identity Management portal under multi-factor authentication
Instructions for setting up MFA on specific devices:
- Android smartphone, tablet or smartwatch: FreeOTP+ App
- iPhone/ iPad/ macOS: with Passwords App
- Windows / macOS / Linux: with the password manager KeePassXC – or with 2FAGuard (Windows only)
Who exactly does this apply to?
The deadline of July 15 applies to all individuals employed as student assistants at FAU. Assistants in University Administration are classified as employees under collective bargaining agreements and have already switched to MFA. All students who are not employed at the University are required to make the switch by November 15 – why not just take 10 minutes of your time and activate MFA today already?
Do you need help?
In the MFA support hour, Dr. Monica Hinrichs-Mayer from the CIO Office or Daniel de West, Customer Service Director at Erlangen Regional Computing Center explain how multi-factor authentication works and demonstrate how to set it up in the IdM portal.
The next dates:
No events scheduled.
Contact
If you have any questions, write an email to rrze-mfa@fau.de or contact one of the RRZE helpdesks.