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(FS-2011-05) Subject: TFA Information - Updated Information on Two Factor Authentication Token Distribution Process

Posted Date:September 1, 2011

Foreign School Update ID: FS-2011-05

Author: Pamela Eliadis, Service Director, System Operations & Aid Delivery Management, Federal Student Aid

Subject: TFA Information - Updated Information on Two Factor Authentication Token Distribution Process

In Foreign School Update FS-2011-04, we informed foreign schools of our implementation of Two Factor Authentication (TFA) for authorized users at foreign schools that participate in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program. That communication provided a high-level overview of TFA implementation for foreign schools, including our plans for system rollout and TFA token distribution. In this communication, we provide updated information on the TFA token distribution process.

As previously explained, we will work with a foreign school’s Primary Destination Point Administrator (PDPA) or Security Administrator to implement TFA and distribute the tokens to authorized users at the school. We will use e-mail to provide school-specific TFA token implementation information to the PDPA or Security Administrator. These e-mails from Richard Gordon, Chief Information Officer for Federal Student Aid, will originate from the TFA Communications e-mail address provided in the Contact Information section below.

Initially, we anticipated beginning our e-mail communications with PDPAs and Security Administrators on or about August 8, 2011 and distributing tokens to the PDPAs and Security Administrators at all foreign schools by September 1, 2011. It was necessary to delay our start, but we are now ready to begin the process. We plan to begin sending e-mails to PDPAs and Security Administrators in the near future and anticipate shipping TFA tokens to PDPAs and Security Administrators in September and October 2011.

Previously, we informed foreign schools that all authorized users who are responsible for accessing the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site must begin using TFA to access this Web site by October 1, 2011. Since it was necessary to delay the start of the TFA token distribution process, we have relaxed the date on which only those with registered TFA tokens will be able to access the Web site.

We will inform foreign schools in a subsequent communication of the new date by which all authorized users will be required to access the FAA Access to CPS Online Web site using their TFA tokens. As a reminder, once an authorized foreign school user registers his or her token for use with FAA Access to CPS Online, the user will be required to enter a user ID, a password, and the One-Time Password (OTP) generated by the user’s registered token to gain access.

Contact Information

We appreciate your cooperation in providing safe and secure access to Federal Student Aid systems and look forward to working with the foreign school community to implement TFA.

If you have questions about TFA or the information in this communication, contact us at TFA_Communications@ed.gov (TFA_Communications@ed.gov).