As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, University of Waterloo-provided services Zoom, and two-factor authentication (2FA) service Duo are now or will be unavailable to individuals attempting to authenticate from several countries and regions restricted by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) — a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the United States Treasury Department.
As of March 10, 2022, the below places will be impacted by this change. Waterloo students studying in Iran are most likely to be impacted. Please be aware that other service providers may implement similar sanctions at any time.
- Cuba
- North Korea
- Iran
- Sudan
- Syria
- Crimea region
- Sevastopol region
- Donetsk region
- Luhansk region
Why is this happening?
Sweeping sanctions were levied on Russia, its occupied regions, and potential allies, in hopes of limiting its ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine. Some U.S.-based service providers used by the University of Waterloo, are blocking authentications from individuals whose IP address originate in a country or region in compliance with these sanctions.
What does this mean for Waterloo?
- As of March 10, 2022, Zoom web conferencing platform are restricted.
- Duo two-factor authentication (2FA) will begin implementing restrictions to their service between May 5 and May 12, 2022
With those dates in mind, individuals whose IP address originates from those countries or regions attempting to authenticate to one of these services may see an “Access denied” or other login failure message. Internet connectivity may be poor in regions of the Ukraine due to destruction of infrastructure.
If you have any questions regarding this change, please contact Sam Toman, Manager, Media Relations and Issues Management at stoman@uwaterloo.ca.