Pilot CUHK VPN Add-On Service for Online Teaching and Learning Activities

Background 

1. CUHK VPN allows CUHK users to securely connect to the campus network even over a non-CUHK network access (e.g. home broadband service). The VPN technology encrypts the data transferred online and prevents private information from wiretap. Some CUHK websites / online resources are accessible off campus only if users have connected to CUHK VPN connection.
2. Internet connection speeds in Mainland China vary according to locations and network service providers. Since there are limited entry/exit points for international internet access, there is also a bottleneck for users within China connecting to non-China hosted sites and systems. 
3. Some users in Mainland China have reported difficulties using CUHK VPN in the past.
4. As most of the teaching and learning activities are being conducted online and access to some teaching and learning systems and tools is restricted to the campus network at the moment, the University has subscribed a third party VPN add-on service for teachers, teaching assistants, and students who are currently staying in Mainland China to facilitate their online teaching and learning activities. 
5. The add-on service is provided to facilitate the conduct of activities related to formal teaching and learning only. The usage of each account will be closely monitored and the University reserves the right to initiate any disciplinary actions if cases of misuse are found.
6. The add-on service is supported by Huawei Cloud since 2020/21.

Requirements

1. Each user needs to register only once before using the add-on service.
2. Endorsement by students' Programme or users' Faculty/Department/Unit is needed. The user must fill in the name and the email address of the endorser of their respective Programme/Faculty/Department/Unit.
3. Users must have activated 2FA for their accounts via 2FA Self-Service User Portal before registration. When 2FA is activated, their access to email, VPN and Office 365 services will also be protected with 2FA. 

Registration

• To use CUHK VPN Add-on Service with New CUHK VPN (Global Protect), please fill out the following registration form: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=10301689, or contact us if you have questions.

2FA (DUO Two Factor Authentication)

• Info page
  • FAQ included.  E.g. 
    • Q7: What can I do if my enrolled mobile device is malfunction?
    • Q8: If I forgot to bring my enrolled mobile device, can I skip the 2FA? 
    • Q10: When I tried to login O365, I did not receive any message from the Duo mobile app asking me to approve or deny the login.
    • Q13: How can I generate bypass code for my account?
    • Q16: Do I need to generate a bypass code for each login?
    • Q17: How can I remove Duo 2FA from my account?
    • Q18: My android smartphone was bought in mainland China and there was no Google Playstore in it, how can I install the Duo mobile app?
• Enforcement
  • Students
    • mandatory to use the 2FA for access protection by 3 Nov 2020 according to the 2FA Policy for All University Accounts, please opt-in to use 2FA by enrolling your account and designated mobile device via 2FA Self-Service User Portal before the enforcement date.
  • Staff
    • Tier 0 and Tier 1 accounts for IT administration:  mandatory to use the 2FA according to the Policy to enforce Tier 0 and Tier 1 accounts to use Two Factor Authentication (2FA).
    • 4 major applications* administrators:  mandatory to use 2FA according to the Security Policy for Handling Personal Data. (*major applications include CUSIS, CUPIS, UG and PG Admission Systems)
    • Other staff:  mandatory to use the 2FA for access protection by 2 Feb 2021 according to the 2FA Policy for All University Accounts, please opt-in to use 2FA by enrolling your account and designated mobile device via 2FA Self-Service User Portal before the enforcement date.

Further questions

• Email: elearning@cuhk.edu.hk