Published
November 2, 2026
As cybersecurity threats continue to increase in frequency and sophistication, the university is implementing new security measures as part of its Duke Verified initiative to protect the institution’s systems and data, as well as the work of and faculty, staff, and students.
“Historically, many of Duke’s networks and systems have been open and available to anyone through the Internet,” said Nick Tripp, Duke University’s Chief IT Security Officer. “We will be introducing new security measures to reduce our exposure and will be making some intentional choices about which services are available publicly, which are available externally to Duke users, and which will only be available on the Duke network.”
A new service called Knocknoc is being added to many sites and services as an authenticated access gateway. The concept is to authenticate authorized users before they ping a service or site rather than after, which will limit bad actors from gaining access to Duke’s systems.
Duke users may need to visit the KnocKnoc portal in order to securely reach certain sites and services. Similar to use of a VPN, access is limited to a specific period of time before having to reauthenticate.
How users engage with this new authentication gateway may differ based on the site or service. For instance, for larger sites such as Duke@Work the changes will be largely transparent. For smaller services, users may need to visit the new Knocknoc portal before they can visit other services from off campus.
“This portal functions very similar to a VPN, in that there’s a period of time where users can visit services from off-campus before having to reauthorize for access,” Tripp said.
These new measures have already been installed on sites such as DukeHub, which is used for student registration. Many other broad services will be adopting the new security measures by January 2027.
“We recognize how much our community depends on reliable access to technology and are working closely with IT teams across Duke to minimize disruptions, communicate any anticipated service interruptions, and make the transition as smooth as possible, so you know what to expect,” Tripp said.
Duke community members will receive communications from their local IT support unitsabout upcoming changes, what to expect and any actions that may need to be taken.
“Because our systems and services are interconnected, protecting Duke is a shared responsibility,” Tripp said. “A vulnerability in one area can put others at risk. By strengthening our security, we help protect each other’s work, information and contributions to Duke’s mission.”
Learn more on the Duke Verified website.
Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.
Follow Working@Duke on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube.
——————————————————-
Click Here For The Original Source.
