To enhance the security measures for remote access to PolyU’s internal applications and data from off-campus, the PolyU VPN client’s Host Information Profile (HIP) check will be enabled on 1 Aug 2024, before establishing the VPN session.
What is remote device Host Information Profile (HIP) check?
HIP Check is a feature of the existing PolyU VPN client software to enforce minimum security baseline protection for remote connections to the PolyU campus network. The device information for checking includes anti-virus status, operating system versions, etc.
What changes will be applied after enabling HIP check?
Starting from 1 Aug 2024, when staff login with their NetID to the PolyU VPN client software after inputting the numeral displayed on the screen from the Microsoft Authenticator software on a pre-registered mobile phone, HIP Check will be carried out on the client device before establishing a VPN connection.
HIP Check will verify whether client machine’s anti-virus software is running in 'real-time protection' mode and the last updated virus definition files is within 7 days, in addition to Windows or Mac Operating System version.
The PolyU VPN client software will only proceed to establish the Staff VPN connection if the above security profile meets the minimum baseline requirements.
What should Staff VPN users do?
To ensure a seamless user experience with the Staff VPN, users should ensure that the VPN client-side devices being used are running on supported operating system versions and installed with the up-to-date anti-virus software. The table below shows the supported operating system versions and the tested anti-virus software:
| Operating System |
Anti-virus Software* |
|---|---|
| Windows (Windows 10 64-bit or later) |
• Windows Defender (recommended; Windows built-in anti-virus software) • AVG • Avira |
| Mac (macOS 10.13 or later) |
• AVG |
* Note:
- The anti-virus software listed above is provided as a suggestion. These anti-virus software options have been tested and are proven to be accepted by the HIP check. For other anti-virus software of your own choice, you may need to perform a trial to ensure compatibility.
- Please ensure that the anti-virus software being installed complies with software licensing and usage requirements. Please read the End User License Agreement of the chosen anti-virus software carefully for specific details regarding its terms of use.
How do Staff VPN users know their devices pass the HIP check?
If your device has successfully passed the HIP check, a notification message stating PASSED will be displayed as below:
If your device cannot pass the HIP check, a FAILED notification message will be displayed as shown below.
Please install anti-virus software and/or update its virus definition files and operating mode during the two-month transition period to ensure that the device you use for Staff VPN can continue to operate on or after 1 August 2024.
Should you need further information, please contact the IT HelpCentre (Tel: 2766 5900, WhatsApp/ WeChat: 6577 9669) or reach out to us via the IT Online ServiceDesk.
