What Is Happening?
Microsoft has announced the end of support for their Basic Authentication for Microsoft Exchange. This support will end in the later-half of 2022, and users who are still authenticating using Basic Authentication will no longer be able to receive mail on that client.
What Is Basic Authentication?
Basic Authentication is typically used by email clients on iOS and Android devices or the built-in Mail client on Windows or Macs. It may also be used by email clients on systems not using recent versions of Microsoft Outlook, or https://outlook.office365.com. This antiquated authentication method increases the risk to the UW campus community by lowering the security surrounding user accounts and furthering compromised account abuse.
Examples of Basic Authentication protocols:
- Exchange Active Sync (EAS)
- Post Office Protocol (POP)
- Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)
- Exchange Web Services (EWS)
While Microsoft has not indicated End-of-life for SMTP Basic Authentication, UW Information Technology will be evaluating support for this protocol as well.
What Is Modern Authentication?
Modern authentication is the replacement for Basic Authentication. This authentication method uses OAuth2 and other architecture best practices to harden and increase account security. A modern authentication connection will include a Wyologin prompt followed by a DUO prompt for a one-time set up of your UW credentials.
Who is affected?
Information Technology is currently working to notify users who have connected to Microsoft O365 Email using Basic Authentication. Users who are notified will be sent an email informing them of the actions they need to take to change authentication methods within the allotted time.
What is UW IT doing?
UW IT is communicating with users who have recently used Basic Authentication. This email communication will provide end users with information about devices that may be impacted along with deadlines and assistance information.
What Do I Need to Do?
If you have received a letter notifying you that you have been or are using Basic Authentication on an existing device, updating to Modern Authentication is done by simply deleting your UW Email account within the email client/application and then re-adding the account using the provided instructions. When you re-add the account to the application, you will be forced to connect using Modern Authentication. Users can easily see this by noting they have to authenticate with Wyologin and a DUO prompt.
What Devices Support Modern Authentication?
Below are devices known to support modern authentication. If you are unable to comply with this update because your current equipment is unable to support the modern authentication methods, please contact UWIT to request a maximum of a 6-month extension. After this date, you will no longer be able to use those devices to connect to UW email because of the security risk it poses the university.
- Mail app on iOS 11.x and later
- Mail app on Mac OS 10.14 (Mojave) and later
- Mail app on Android devices (dependent on manufacturer)
- Thunderbird app version 77.0b1 and later
- Outlook on the web
- Outlook for Windows (2016 or newer)
- Outlook for Mac (2016 or newer)
- Outlook App for Android
- Outlook App for iOS version 10.x and greater
What Clients and Applications are Impacted?
The following is a non-exhaustive list of clients that may be impacted by the Basic Authentication changes.
Mobile Devices
Outlook for iOS or Android
We do not anticipate that users of Outlook for iOS or Outlook for Android will be affected by the switch-over to Modern Authentication. No action is required for this application as long as your operating system and Outlook version supports Modern Authentication.
Apple Mail for iOS
The native Apple mail client will require you to delete and re-add your account. You will need to reauthenticate if using Apple Mail. More information on this process can be found here.
Android
Gmail for Android will require you to delete and re-add your account. You will need to reauthenticate if using the Gmail client for UW mail. More information on this process can be found here.
Desktop
Outlook for Windows and macOS
We do not anticipate that users of Outlook for Windows or Outlook for macOS will be affected by the switch-over to Modern Authentication. No action is required for this application as long as you are using a version that supports Modern Authentication.
Windows Mail
The native Windows Mail client will require you to delete and re-add your account. You will need to reauthenticate if using Windows Mail. More information on this process can be found here.
macOS Mail
The native macOS mail client will require you to delete and re-add your account. You will need to reauthenticate if using Apple Mail. More information on this process can be found here.
Other applications
Other mail clients connecting UW mail will most likely need to be deleted from the application and re-added. One such example is the Thunderbird email client. For additional assistance, issue, questions, or concerns please contact the UWIT Help Desk at 307 766-4357, option #1, or by emailing at userhelp@uwyo.edu. You can always submit a help ticket through our service center at http://uwit.uwyo.edu.