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IT Service Status
IT Service Status

GlobalProtect VPN Upgrade Begins August 2

Posted Date: August 1, 2022

Effective Date: August 1, 2022

This month, Northwestern IT is performing an upgrade to GlobalProtect, the University’s Virtual Private Network (VPN). The upgrade addresses security vulnerabilities and aligns Northwestern with the vendor’s upgrade window recommendations. 

Users can self-upgrade starting Tuesday, August 2, at 7:30 a.m. On this date, members of the University will be prompted to upgrade GlobalProtect upon logging into a VPN-required service. Northwestern IT encourages users to complete the upgrade as soon as possible. Once initiated, the upgrade process takes a few minutes to complete. Users should be aware the process will disconnect any in-use VPN sessions, and they will need to reconnect once the upgrade completes.

What to Expect

  • Mac users may be prompted to enter their macOS password and choose “always allow” to a keychain access setting. This step is required to grant appropriate permissions to GlobalProtect.
  • Windows users may need to reboot their machines and then connect with the GlobalProtect client to receive the upgrade prompt.

Similar to past recommendations, Northwestern IT does not recommend pushing out GlobalProtect updates via KACE or JAMF. These updates do not occur at a specific time, and a managed push to deliver the change will disconnect in-use GlobalProtect sessions, disrupting connected users’ in-process work.

Please note, on Tuesday, August 16, at 7:30 a.m., the upgrade process becomes mandatory, as GlobalProtect will require all users to download and install the new client the next time they initiate a VPN connection. 

Future GlobalProtect Upgrades

Moving forward, GlobalProtect client upgrades will be performed quarterly. The new approach to this maintenance is detailed on the VPN web page. Specific details of future scheduled maintenance will be posted on the Status of University IT Services.
 
For assistance with issues encountered while performing the GlobalProtect upgrade, please contact the Northwestern IT Service Desk at consultant@northwestern.edu or 847-491-4357 (1-HELP).