Tech Alerts

On Thursday, a faulty software update from the cybersecurity company Crowdstrike resulted in one of the largest IT outages in history. In total, over 8 million Windows computers worldwide were affected, causing the devices to receive the familiar Windows error screen, colloquially referred to as the “blue screen of death.”

FDU uses Crowdstrike antivirus software. Fortunately, only a small number of users within our community have experienced the issue. If your PC displays the error screen, please avoid attempting to solve the issue independently. We ask that you create a support ticket via SAMISupport.fdu.edu or call UTAC at (973)-443-8822. The FDU Computing Services team is well-versed on the issue and will resolve it for you.

As you might imagine, online scammers are already attempting to exploit the issue. According to the Center for Internet Security, multiple email and web-based scammers are using this outage as a pretense to defraud people online. Please be vigilant when reviewing work or personal communications related to this outage. Additionally, you may wish to use this opportunity to review our IT.FDU.EDU article on how to spot a Phishing Scam using the link below:

Between June 18th at 11PM EDT and June 19th at 2AM EDT, University Systems and Networking will be performing network maintenance. During this window, on-campus users will experience intermittent outages of the wired internet connection.

This work is being completed outside of regular business hours and does not affect off-campus users or on-campus users of our wireless network. As a result, we expect minimal impact on our community.

A program update for the Microsoft 365 Desktop Client (formerly known as Microsoft Office 365) will automatically deploy to university-owned Windows laptops and desktop computers starting on June 17, 2024, at 8:00 AM. This upgrade, expected to take approximately 30 minutes, will enhance the performance and security of your applications. When working remotely, ensure you are connected to the University VPN (Virtual Private Network) to receive this upgrade. You will receive a notification to close your Microsoft 365 applications before the update begins, as shown below:

Please save all work and close any open Microsoft 365 applications before clicking “OK” to proceed with the update.

Some machines may require a reboot after the installation. However, most users will simply receive a notification that the upgrade is installed and ready to use.

During the upgrade, you can still access your email, write, and view Microsoft 365 documents online by visiting office365.fdu.edu. Documents stored on your department’s shared network drive will be inaccessible.

Once the upgrade is complete, you can confirm that you have the correct version of Microsoft 365 by opening a Microsoft Word document, clicking “File,” then “Account.” The updated version is Version 2403 Build 16.0.17425.20236.

FDU technology assets, such as computers, printers, and phones, are tracked as part of University financial asset control and sometimes for lease agreements. These devices also require appropriate addressing to connect to our network, which is especially important for our desk phones that are associated with an E911 address.

With these factors in mind, we ask that you do not relocate or dispose of devices without appropriate coordination. Computing Services is now the formal point of contact for the relocation or recycling of all technology assets.

All requests to move or recycle technology should be submitted via the SAMI Support Portal. To submit a request, log into the SAMI Support Portal (linked below) and click on “Create New SAMI Support Request”. Then select “SAMI Support Request” and provide a brief description of the equipment that needs to be moved or recycled.

SAMI Support

The following should be selected for each request scenario within the SAMI Support Portal:

For a user, printer, or department move, select the following:

• What can we assist you with? PC Support
• What product/application/service does your request concern? User & Workstation Move

For disposal or recycling of an asset, select the following:

• What can we assist you with? Hardware and Equipment
• What product/application/service does your request concern? Recycle/Disposal of Equipment

Upon receipt of the SAMI Support request, Computing Services will ensure that all necessary information has been captured before making any changes. Ensure you obtain IT approval for moving or disposing of assets to avoid delays.

Last night, the NWN self-service portal was temporarily disabled as security concerns were addressed. At this time, service has already been restored and no further downtime is expected. We will be contacting a few of our users within the next few days with additional instructions.

On Tuesday, May 21st, between 8AM and 8PM EDT, and on Thursday May 23^rd, between 8 AM and 1 PM EDT the next day, FDU will be performing a major firmware upgrade on our network authentication services.

During these maintenance windows, there is a possibility that users may experience brief authentication delays when connecting to the wireless network or the FDU VPN.

We are writing to inform you of a new program update for Microsoft 365 Desktop Client (formerly Microsoft Office 365) that will improve the performance and security of your applications. This upgrade, expected to take approximately 30 minutes, will be automatically deployed to your computer starting on April 9, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. If you are working remotely, ensure you are connected to the University’s VPN (Virtual Private Network) to receive this upgrade. To ensure a smooth installation, you will need to close all Office 365 applications before the update begins and save and close any files that you are working on. Once your system receives the upgrade package, you will receive a notification to close your application before the update begins as shown below:

You will then receive a notification when the Microsoft 365 upgrade has been completed and is ready to use.

During the upgrade, you can still access your email, write, and view Office documents online by visiting https://office365.fdu.edu. Documents stored on your department’s shared network drive will remain accessible for editing. If you open any Office application during the upgrade, you will receive the following:

To verify your upgrade version, open any Microsoft Word document, click on File, then click on Account. You should see Upgrade Version 2401 Build 16.0.17231.20290.

If you have not received the upgrade, encounter any issues, or have additional comments by April 19, 2024, please open a SAMI support ticket. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

OIRT constantly monitors our network for new phishing attempts and implements rules to prevent these messages from reaching our email system. We catch and delete over 90% of phishing emails before they reach our community. However, achieving a 100% catch rate without blocking some legitimate emails is impossible. Therefore, it’s crucial for our community to verify the legitimacy of every email before responding.

The threat of phishing attacks is always high. Bad actors frequently request personal email addresses or mobile numbers for texting, aiming to divert victims from our secure environment. FDU will never request your personal email address or ask for responses via personal email.

Always verify the source of emails before responding. Messages pretending to come from our community but originating from external email domains can be identified by the [External] tag in the subject line.

For additional tips on recognizing phishing emails and steps to report them, please review the articles below:

Multi-Factor Fatigue

Do NOT accept a Cisco Duo multi-factor authentication challenge unless you are actively trying to log into one of our systems. Receiving a Duo challenge without attempting to access an FDU system likely means your password has been compromised. Scammers often try logging into an account repeatedly, hoping a community member will accept the Duo challenge to cease the persistent requests. Instead of granting the scammer access to your account, change your password immediately and report the potential compromise to the University Technical Assistance Center at (973)-443-8822.

WISP Compliance

Our online WISP Training is mandatory and required every two years. Regularly, auto-generated emails are sent to those not in compliance. Employees who are non-compliant will face denial of new service requests through the SAMI Support Portal, and access to all systems and services may be restricted following multiple unanswered non-compliance communications.

On the evenings of March 14th and 15th, during the NJ campus Spring Break closure, USAN will conduct maintenance on our campus network infrastructure. While we do not expect this work to impact users, it is possible that on-campus users may experience a momentary interruption of internet connectivity as we service their area.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please visit SAMI Support, where you can request additional information from UTAC or search our extensive IT knowledge base. While SAMI Support provides the quickest and easiest access to IT support, you can always contact UTAC by phone at (973)-443-8822 or by email at fdutac@fdu.edu.

Microsoft’s new meeting scheduler for Outlook is now available on FDU-owned computers.  The new feature, called Microsoft Scheduling Poll, replaces their legacy solution, Microsoft FindTime. While the interface has improved, the functionality will be familiar to FindTime users. Microsoft Scheduling Poll allows members of our community to offer a poll to their meeting attendees. Attendees can vote to reach a consensus on a preferred meeting time. 

More information on this helpful tool can be found below:

If you have any questions or concerns, please visit SAMI Support, where you can request additional information from UTAC or search our extensive IT knowledge base. While SAMI Support provides the quickest and easiest access to IT support, you can always contact UTAC by phone at (973)-443-8822 or email at fdutac@fdu.edu.