CaTS Blog

Macintosh Safari and Firefox search problem in OWA

Clients using Macintosh Safari and Firefox browsers have contacted the
Help Desk with issues searching in Outlook Web Application (OWA.) The
Search box in OWA is grayed out.  It appears that Chrome does work for
searching, and that it is only Safari and Firefox that are experiencing
the problem.

CaTS has opened a case with Microsoft as have other universities.
Microsoft responded to one university with: “The issue that you are
experiencing with Safari and Firefox on MacOS is not unique to you.
Unfortunately, it appears this issue began with the latest update to the
service which was recently rolled out. The issue is currently under
investigation by our product teams.  We do not have an ETA for
resolution yet to provide at this time.  I will certainly update you as
soon as more is known, including an expected resolution date."

If you are a Macintosh client using OWA , Chrome is available for Mac OS
X 10.6 or later.  https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

For questions, please contact the CaTS Help Desk by calling 937.775.4827
or sending an email to helpdesk@wright.edu.

Library Email Scam

Recently, a new email scam has been targeting university faculty, staff,
and students. This message claims that your library account has expired
and that you must reactivate it using the provided link, or your account
will be closed. The message is claiming to be sent by someone in the
University Libraries department. Please note that this is a scam and not
an official notice from Wright State University.

Here’s the text of the message:

-------------------------------

Dear User,

Your access to your library account is expired, therefore you must
reactivate it immediately or it will be closed automatically. If you
intend to use this service in the future, you must take action at once!

To reactivate your account, simply visit the following page and login
with your account. After logging in, your account is reactivated and it
will redirect you to your library account.

Login Page: <LINK REMOVED FOR SECURITY REASONS>

If you can't login, please contact the Access Services Librarian at
lisa.daniels@wright.edu.

Although the university has now blocked the link for this scam (so you
can’t go to the website referenced in the message), this is a good time
to point out that you should never click on a link in an unsolicited
email that is asking you to enter your personal information. No
department at Wright State University will ever send an email asking you
to click a link to enter your personal information.

If you are unsure whether or not a message you receive is spam, contact
the CaTS Help Desk at (937) 775-4827 and we’ll be glad to talk with you.

Many of you may have heard recently about a security vulnerability affecting secure data transmission on the Internet. This bug, deemed the Heartbleed Bug, affects OpenSSL, the open-source encryption standard used by most websites.

On Monday, April 8, CaTS began a review of the OpenSSL deployment for all CaTS-managed servers. The initial results indicate our servers are not affected by this vulnerability. However, we will be performing a thorough scan of all CaTS-managed servers to ensure no systems have been overlooked.

Although CaTS is looking at web servers owned by the university, the Heartbleed bug has affected many other websites, and your secure information could be compromised. For a general overview of this bug and the steps you should take to secure your information, see the following
website:

http://www.businessinsider.com/heartbleed-bug-explainer-2014-4

If you have questions or concerns about this vulnerability please contact the Help Desk at (937) 775-4827.

This list is maintained by Computing and Telecommunications Services.
 

On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will be ending support for the Windows XP operating system. As a result, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates for Windows XP computers. While all new university-owned computers ordered through Pomeroy since January 2011 have arrived with Windows 7 installed, CaTS has determined that approximately 10% of computers at WSU are running Windows XP. In order to fully protect our campus network, we would like to reduce the number of Windows XP computers currently in use.

*How You Can Help*

If you are using a university-owned computer that has Windows XP installed, including using Windows XP via Parallels on a Mac, please call the CaTS Help Desk at (937) 775-4827 so we can assess your computer to determine if it can be upgraded. We highly encourage you to get this upgrade so your computer won’t be as vulnerable to security threats.

*Important Notes*

- At this time, CaTS will not be revoking network access to Windows XP computers. However, in the future, as the number of unpatched security vulnerabilities are detected with Windows XP, CaTS may need to take this approach in order to protect our network.

- While this won’t affect the university network, CaTS would like to still encourage you to upgrade your home computer if it is currently running Windows XP. The same security threats and vulnerabilities will be present if you do not upgrade.

- On March 8, Microsoft began displaying pop-ups on Windows XP computers that encourage the user to upgrade. These pop-ups will continue to happen on the 8th of each month until the user upgrades.

*Questions?*
CaTS is here to help you with this transition. For any questions involving upgrades or the end of Microsoft’s XP support, please contact the Help Desk at (937) 775-4827, or toll free at 1-888-775-4827.

This list is maintained by Computing and Telecommunications Services.
 

Attention Faculty, Staff, and Students:
The system maintenance scheduled for Saturday, March 8, from 8am – 9:30am has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict. The new date and time are as follows:

Date: Sunday, March 9
Time: 7am – 8:30am

During this maintenance time, you may experience problems when trying to access network resources.

Questions can be directed to the CaTS Help Desk at (937) 775-4827 or toll free at 1-888-775-4827.

This list is maintained by Computing and Telecommunications Services.