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[:en]Phishing alert: Zoom invite[:]

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

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Please be on the lookout for a new tactic that phishing scammers are employing to get your personal details, passwords and to gain access to your university account.

These scammers are using “Zoom” video conference invitations to fool their intended victims and steal passwords and other personal details.

 

Above is one such example. Take note of the highlighted the warning signs that reveal the scam. This particular scam is “custom” programmed for specific university e-mail addresses and might target your address, as the e-mail addresses are embedded into the phishing web page and the e-mail itself.

If you do get such an e-mail please report it to IT Cyber Security as soon as possible on the ICT Partner Portal.

If you have accidentally responded to the phisher and already provided them with your personal details, it is vitally important that you immediately change your password. Make sure the new password is completely different, and is a strong password that will not be easily guessed, as well as changing the passwords on your social media and private e-mail accounts, especially if you use the same passwords on these accounts.

After changing your password, also log a request on the ICT Partner Portal in order for your devices to be checked for malicious software. 

[ARTICLE BY DAVID WILES]

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[:en]Annual Moodle maintenance[:af]Jaarlikse Moodle-onderhoud[:]

Wednesday, November 4th, 2020

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Assessments and courses are running quite differently in 2020. As a result, the normal November/early December maintenance weekend has had to be adjusted.

Annual upgrade and maintenance period for Moodle will take place between 13 and 17 December 2020. This will include:

  1. SUNLearn
  2. StudentFeedback
  3. SUNOnline
  4. Learning Hub (USB)
  5. Schools (Telematic Schools Project)

Affected staff and students will be reminded of possible disruption in access, but the IT team will be working hard to ensure that this is kept to a minimum.

For lecturers, roll-over of 2020 modules will take place ahead of the scheduled maintenance. The CLT support team will communicate details of this to all faculties within the next week.

 

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Kursusse en gepaardegaande asseserings verloop dié jaar ietwat anders as voorheen. Gevolglik moes ons die normale November/Desember onderhoudnaweek aanpas. 

Die jaarlikse opgradering en onderhoudperiode vir Moodle sal dus plaasvind vanaf die 13de tot die 17de Desember. Dit sal die volgende insluit:

  1. SUNLearn
  2. StudentFeedback
  3. SUNOnline
  4. Learning Hub (USB)
  5. Schools (Telematic Schools Project)

Personeel en studente wat deur die onderhoud ontwrig mag word sal in kennis gestel word, maar die IT-span sal hulle bes probeer om onderbrekings tot `n minimum te beperk.

Vir dosente sal `n oorrol van 2020-modules voor die geskeduleerde onderhoud plaasvind. Die SLT ondersteuningspan sal komende week die details hieroor aan alle fakulteite kommunikeer. 

 

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[:en]Safelinks protecting you against phishing[:af]Safelinks beskerm jou teen strikroof[:]

Thursday, October 8th, 2020

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 In January 2020 Information Technology activated a preventative security tool called Safe Links to protect all staff and students from email phishing attempts.

You might have noticed that some of the links in your emails suddenly started displaying a very long link which starts with https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/ followed by the rest of the web link. This is an extra obstacle built in to our Microsoft security features which checks if a site has been listed as dangerous and prevents you from clicking on it. If you do click on it, you will see the following warning:

Definition of Safe Links

“Safe Links is a feature in Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection that provides URL scanning and rewriting of inbound email messages in mail flow, and time-of-click verification of URLs and links in email messages and other locations. Safe Links scanning occurs in addition to the regular anti-spam and anti-malware protection in inbound email messages in Exchange Online Protection (EOP). Safe Links scanning can help protect your organisation from malicious links that are used in phishing and other attacks.”  

With this added feature we eliminated some of the risk facing staff and students when it comes to phishing and other security attacks from hackers. However, this does not mean you shouldn’t still be vigilant when you open an email.

Familiarise yourself with the basic tell-tale signs of a phishing email. Think before you click on a link or open an attachment. Information Technology can only protect you up to a point, the rest is your responsibility – this is especially true in these times when you work from home.

 

 

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In Januarie 2020 het Informasietegnologie Safe Links,`n voorkomende sekuriteitshulpmiddel, geaktiveer om personeel en studente te beskerm teen strikroofaanvalle.

 Jy sou moontlik opgemerk het dat die skakels in jou e-posse die afgelope paar maande skielik `n ekstra lang adres wys as jy met die muis daaroor beweeg. Die skakel sal begin met https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/ gevolg deur die webwerf se skakel. Hierdie proses is `n ekstra hekkie wat in ons Microsoft sekuriteitsfunksie gebou. Die funksionaliteit gaan na of `n webwerf as gevaarlik of hoë risiko gelys is en indien wel, keer dit dat jy op die skakel kliek. Indien jy op die skakel kliek sal die volgende waarskuwing verskyn. 

Definisie van Safe Links

“Safe Links is a feature in Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection that provides URL scanning and rewriting of inbound email messages in mail flow, and time-of-click verification of URLs and links in email messages and other locations. Safe Links scanning occurs in addition to the regular anti-spam and anti-malware protection in inbound email messages in Exchange Online Protection (EOP). Safe Links scanning can help protect your organisation from malicious links that are used in phishing and other attacks.”  

Met hierdie addisionele funksie word sommige van die strikroof- en sekuriteitsrisikos waarmee personeel en studente gekonfronteer word verminder. Dit beteken egter nie dat jy gerus moet wees wanneer jy e-posse oopmaak nie.

Maak seker jy weet wat die basiese tekens is van `n strikroof e-pos. Dink en lees voor jy op `n skakel kliek of `n aanhangsel kliek.
Informasietegnologie kan jou slegs beskerm tot op `n punt, die res is jou verantwoordelik. Dit is, in besonder, van toepassing terwyl ons tans van die huis af werk. 

 

 

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[:en]Skype now more limited[:af]Minder funksionaliteit vir Skype[:]

Thursday, October 8th, 2020

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In a previous article we’ve mentioned that Microsoft will no longer use TLS 1.0 and 1.1 after 15 October 2020 and that they will move over to TLS 1.2 for better security.

After the deprecation of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on 15 October, Skype for Business will no longer show your Free/Busy presence and you will also not be able to use the address book. 

We advise that you Microsoft Teams for collaboration and chat features which were previously available in Skype for Business.

Staff who use the Skype for Business application for their office phone number will still have to use Skype for Business to make and receive external PSTN (Telkom, Cell phone) calls.  This functionality will be moved to Teams as soon as possible and users will be contacted in this regard.

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In `n vorige artikel het ons verwys na Microsoft se besluit om na 15 Oktober nie meer TLS 1.0 en 1.1 te gebruik nie, maar eerder oor sal skakel na TLS 1.2 vir beter sekuriteit.

Na die uitfasering van TLS 1.0 en 1.1 op 15 Oktober sal Skype for Business nie meer jou Free/Busy status aandui nie en jy sal ook nie meer jou adresboek kan gebruik nie. 

Ons beveel aan dat jy Microsoft Teams gebruik vir kollaborasie en vir die gespreksfunksies wat voorheen beskikbaar was met Skype for Business.

Personeel wat die Skype for Business toepassing gebruik vir hulle kantoortelefoonnommer sal steeds Skype for Business moet gebruik om eksterne PSTN (Telkom en selfoonnommers) oproepe te maak en ontvang. Hierdie funksionaliteit sal binnekort egter ook na Teams geskuif word en gebruikers van die diens sal gekontak word wanneer dit gebeur.

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[:en]Outlook public folders no longer available[:af]Outlook Public folders nie meer beskikbaar nie[:]

Wednesday, October 7th, 2020

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Since the end of November last year December public folders are no longer be an available functionality for staff. If you are still using public folders in Outlook to schedule meetings, for example, we recommend that you switch to alternative solutions.

What are public folders?

Public folders are designed for shared access and provide an easy and effective way to collect, organise, and share information with other people in your work group or organisation. 

Public folders are available in the following Outlook clients:

  • Outlook on the web (formerly known as Outlook Web App) for Exchange 2016 or later

  • Supported versions of Outlook for Exchange server.

  • Outlook for Mac 2016 and Outlook for Mac for Office 365.

What does this mean for me?

Although public folders were generally used at the university we now have alternatives which fulfil the same function possibly even better. If you are still using the public folders, depending on what you use it for, we would suggest that you enquire with the IT Service Desk regarding an alternative solution.

What are the alternative solutions?

Room or venue bookings can be facilitated by requesting the creation of a Resource Mailbox. For group collaboration, a team within MS Teams would be suitable for that use case as it allows members of the team to collaborate on documents and keep track of communication within the team.

[ARTICLE BY BRADLEY VAN DER VENTER]

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Sedert einde November verlede jaar is public folders nie meer ʼn beskikbare funksie vir personeel nie. Indien jy steeds public folders in Outlook gebruik om, byvoorbeeld vergaderings te skeduleer stel ons voor dat jy alternatiewe oplossings oorweeg. 

Wat is public folders?

Public folders bied ʼn maklike en effektiewe metode om inligting te versamel, organiseer en deel met kollegas binne die universiteit. 

Public folders is beskikbaar vir die volgende Outlook-weergawes:

  • Outlook op die web (voorheen bekend as die Outlook Web App) vir Exchange 2016 en later.

  • Ondersteunde weergawes  van Outlook vir die Exchange-bediener.

  • Outlook vir Mac 2016 en Outlook vir Mac vir Office 365.

Wat beteken dit vir my?

Hoewel public folders gereeld binne die universiteit gebruik is, is daar nou ander, meer effektiewe opsies wat dieselfde, of selfs beter, funksionaliteit bied. Indien jy steeds public folders aktief gebruik, sal die IT Dienstoonbank ʼn alternatiewe oplossing kan voorstel afhangende van wat jy benodig.

Wat is die alternatiewe oplossings?

Kamer- of lokaalbesprekings kan gefasiliteer word deur ʼn resource mailbox aan te vra. Om in groepe saam te werk met kollegas, is MS Teams ideaal en laat dit lede toe om saam te werk aan dokumente en tred te hou met kommunikasie binne die span.

[ARTIKEL DEUR BRADLEY VAN DE VENTER]

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