Q. I'm unable to download Cisco VPN AnyConnect on a Mac. What do I do?

Note: As of August 2020, affiliates of Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital can access most of Yale Library's e-resources from off-campus without VPN. See the video below for a demonstration on off-campus access without VPN.

If you need to use VPN and are unable to download the program to your Mac, see below:

Troubleshooting VPN for Mac Users

For Macintosh users, there is often an error that appears after the initial download of Cisco VPN AnyConnect. If you have received a security error, follow these steps to temporarily override install Cisco VPN AnyConnect:

1. Re-download Cisco VPN AnyConnect
2. Follow your computer prompts
3. When the security error, "System Extension Blocked," appears, click the option to "Open Security Preferences" (see image 1)
   • If you miss this dialog box, repeat steps 1 & 2
4. After you select "Open Security Preferences," your computer's Security & Privacy settings will open
5. Under the "General" tab (see image 2):
   • Click on "lock" icon in order to make changes, it should now appear "unlocked"
   • See the text "System software from developer Cisco was blocked from downloading" and select the "Allow" button
6. You will now be able to finish the installation process for Cisco VPN AnyConnect
7. Within Cisco, login using your NetID and password.

For more information on logging into Cisco VPN AnyConnect, see:

• FAQ: How do I use VPN? 
• Video tutorial on signing into Cisco

Image 1:

Image 2: