News

Resolved (October 12, 1:20 p.m.): The 'UniversityOfWaterloo' Captive Portal for guest Wi-Fi is now working as expected.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

What is happening? Some users may be experiencing issues when trying to access the 'UniversityOfWaterloo' Captive Portal for guest Wi-Fi. IST is investigating. 

When did the issue start? Monday, September 20 around 7:00 a.m.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

What is happening? There has been a recent increase in the number of malicious emails being sent to members of the University community from attackers impersonating leaders at all levels of the organization. Please be vigilant and read emails carefully before responding.

What should I do if I have received this email? Suspected phishing and malicious emails should be reported to the Security Operations Centre at soc@uwaterloo.ca. Reports of successful fraud should be directed to UW Special Constable Services at uwscs@uwaterloo.ca.

Update (October 6, 11:25 a.m.):

What is happening? The Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client will be updated to version 4.10.

When is this happening? Wednesday, October 13. The client software will automatically be updated for users connecting to the VPN after 7:00 a.m.

What is the impact? Some end-of-life operating systems will no longer be officially supported.

What do users need to do? Ensure you are using a supported OS version:

• Windows: version 8.1 or newer
• Mac: version 10.15 or newer

Why is this happening? The updated client contains critical security fixes and enhancements.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

What is happening? The University’sVPN tool AnyConnect will be upgraded to version 4.10.

When is this happening?

• The upgrade for IST-managed machines will take place on Thursday, September 23 at 11:00 p.m.
• The upgrade for unmanaged machines will take place on Wednesday, October 6 at 7:00 a.m.

What is the impact? Users of unsupported operating systems will no longer be able to run AnyConnect. Information Systems & Technology (IST) has identified that the operating system (OS) on the computer/device you used to connect to the University’s VPN recently may be out of date. 

What do I need to do? You must update the operating system on your computer/device in order to use the VPN tool.

• On a Mac, ensure you are running version MacOS 10.15 (Catalina) or newer: Click Apple icon > About this Mac
• On a PC, ensure you are running version 8.1 or newer: follow these instructions to see which version of Windows operation system you are running, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/which-version-of-windows-operating-system-am-i-running-628bec99-476a-2c13-5296-9dd081cdd808

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca.

What is happening? Updated versions of the WatSAFE Desktop Notification tool, for both Windows and Mac, are now available. 

What do users need to do? 

• If your machine is managed by IST, the new Windows client is available through SCCM.
• If your machine is not managed, please see the appropriate IST knowledge base article for steps on downloading and installing the new client
  • Windows client
  • Mac client

Managed machines outside of IST:  If you are responsible for managing a group of Windows or Mac machines, you may request a package-based deployment version via the Jira Service Management help portal, https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/group/3/create/187. 

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca.

Whether you're on campus or working or learning from home, we're here to help. Visit an on-campus IST service desk or connect with us via phone, email, or live chat.

Resolved (Sept 21, 10:10 a.m.): The issue has been mitigated; users should be able to authenticate and connect to the wireless network again.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

What is happening? Users may be experiencing authentication timeouts when attempting to connect to the wireless network. IST is investigating. 

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

What is happening? We will be testing the University’s campus-wide emergency communication system.

When is this happening? Thursday, September 23 at 11:00 a.m.                                             

What is the impact? Emergency communication channels being tested include:

What is happening? Duo Mobile will be releasing a redesigned version of the Duo Mobile two-factor authentication app for iOS and Android (version 4.0.0). 

When is this happening? There will be a rolling release of Duo Mobile version 4.0.0:

• For iOS: between October 11 and October 18
• For Android: between October 11 and October 15

What is the impact? Users will see a redesigned Duo Mobile app once the app is updated in the above timeframes. No user action is required; there will be no significant functional change in the Duo Mobile app.

Additional resources

• Introduction to the Redesigned Duo Mobile Version 4 Application (video)
• Duo Mobile's guide to the new Duo Mobile version 4.0.0 for Duo administrators

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

What is happening? Teams webinars, Microsoft's tool for hosting secure and interactive webinars, has been enabled for all University members with an active Microsoft Teams license. 

How are Teams webinars different from Teams meetings? 

Resolved (September 15, 8:12 a.m.): Users should be able to authenticate when connecting to eduroam again. IST has implemented a targeted mitigation while the vendor provides a software patch to fix a bug in the authentication service.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

What is happening? Users may be experiencing authentication issues when connecting to eduroam. IST is investigating. 

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.