This change will impact some users who still use old methods to access their uOttawa emails.
To minimize the impact of this change on the university community, IT security will progressively be disabling the access to emails via old methods starting June 2022. This change will enhance account security and the security of the university community.
Why is this change necessary?
Microsoft is moving towards only supporting Modern Authentication to connect to email and will be disabling old authentication methods (legacy authentication) for all clients on October 1, 2022.
Legacy authentication protocols leave our organization vulnerable to online threats, as it makes it easier for attackers to capture user credentials which can be reused to access other endpoints or services.
Microsoft has performed analysis and the statistics are clear:
- More than 99 percent of password spray attacks use legacy authentication protocols.
- More than 97 percent of credential stuffing attacks use legacy authentication.
- Organizations that have disabled legacy authentication experience 67 percent fewer compromises than those where legacy authentication is enabled.
What are old authentication methods?
Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of users that request access to a system, network, or device. Old methods usually ask you to submit your username and password at the same time. This means your username and password are saved together, which is less secure.
How to access your emails
We strongly recommend using Outlook to ensure uninterrupted access to your e-mails.
You need to have an updated version of Outlook on your desktop, or you can use Outlook on the web. You can also download the Outlook mobile app for iOS or Android.
Project timeline
For the different groups below, IT security will progressively be disabling the access to emails via old methods starting June 2022. The first phase will target faculty and staff and a second phase will target students.
Faculty and Staff
|
Group |
Tentative start date |
Tentative end date |
|---|---|---|
|
Faculty and staff not using old methods |
May 30, 2022 |
June 3, 2022 |
|
Faculty |
June 6, 2022 |
June 17, 2022 |
|
Staff |
June 20, 2022 |
June 24, 2022 |
|
Retirees |
June 27, 2022 |
June 30, 2022 |
Students
|
Group |
Tentative start date |
Tentative end date |
|---|---|---|
|
Students not using old methods |
June 27, 2022 |
June 30, 2022 |
|
uOttawa students |
July 4, 2022 |
July 15, 2022 |
|
Special students |
July 18, 2022 |
July 22, 2022 |
|
St Paul students & remaining accounts |
July 25, 2022 |
July 29, 2022 |
Note: Dates above are subject to change based on project progress.