A targeted phishing email is circulating, asking you to open an attachment containing a fraudulent link to shared documents.
The message uses a variation on these subject lines:
See an example of the message at the top of this page. Personal information has been removed from the image.
As of March 26, 2025, you will no longer be able to reset your McGill username password in Minerva. Password resets will be managed through a single, secure platform using Microsoft’s Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) feature to enhance security and better protect your data.
Note: Password resets for Banner/Imaging/Data Warehouse will remain available in Minerva.
Resolved.
Please be advised that MS Copilot chat is only allowing file uploads up to 1MB at this time. Microsoft is investigating the matter, and we will communicate any updates we receive.
Revvity, the vendor of Signals Notebook and ChemDraw, is changing the portal used to access this software package. See below for specifics regarding the changes to each software.
The vendor is replacing the current version of Signals Notebook with a new version that will be accessed through the new portal. Any data saved in the cloud of the current version of Signals Notebook will be deleted after Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.
If you have logged into your Signals Notebook account since 2023:
IT Services has completed its required upgrade to Banner.
Banner INB, Minerva (including student tax receipts and the McGill MarketPlace), myProgress (degree process tracking), and myThesis (Thesis Examination Management) are now available.
Upgrading our systems on a regular basis is a fundamental activity that McGill University does to ensure we get the most functionality and security out of our tools and systems.
Thank you for your support and collaboration.
Attackers, scammers, marketers: these days they’re all taking advantage of AI to generate polished, typo-free content. Figuring out if an email is legitimate has definitely become more challenging. But when you access your McGill email through Microsoft Outlook, you benefit from several extra features that help protect you from phishing.
Keep an eye out for: phishing safety tips
Microsoft Copilot is a generative AI tool that can help you write texts, generate images, translate texts into other languages, and much more. Learn how to access this powerful tool and use its main features with our self-paced introductory online module on myCourses. Through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios, as well as a discussion of ethical AI practices, you’ll be well-equipped to use Copilot productively and responsibly.
IT Services recently migrated many Webex softphone users to Teams Phone.
As a result, users may have received a message from Microsoft stating their license will be deactivated soon. (See screenshot above.) It is a legitimate message from Microsoft.
All McGill faculty and staff are assigned Microsoft 365 licenses that provide access to applications such as Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, Word, and Excel. As part of the recent migration, IT Services changed the type of Microsoft 365 license assigned to some users.
We have received reports of a Read.AI bot attending or attempting to attend online meetings organized by McGill faculty and staff. The bot uses generative AI to create a text summarizing a meeting’s discussions and decisions; it then shares a link to that document with all participants.
McGill University must vet all IT solutions to ensure they safeguard data privacy and security. Read.AI has not been approved for teaching, research, or administrative activities at the University.
The Classroom A/V Instructions application is moving to the Browse Classrooms widget on the McGill IT Support website on December 13th, 2024.
Classroom audiovisual information will now be available on a platform the community is familiar with. You’ll also be accessing it more securely with single sign-on (SSO) and two-factor authentication (2FA).
As of January 31, 2025, McGill IT Services has decommissioned the McGill Staff Directory. This initiative aims to streamline processes, improve security against phishing attacks, and replace outdated technology.
We’re excited to share new features to MyCredsTM, the platform accessed through the ES Services (Enrolment Services eStore & MyCredsTM) in Minerva, that allows students to securely share documents such as electronic transcripts, custom letters, documents, and forms.
We are transitioning Webex softphone users to Teams Phone throughout December. Our IT team will contact individual users to provide specific timelines.
The benefits of switching to Teams Phone include:
Reduced costs
Same calling functionality as Webex (internal and external calling)
Keeping existing phone numbers
The University is already using the platform for internal calling, meetings, and collaboration
Update - Monday, December 2, 2024 - Afternoon:
Mercury online course evaluation system is back online.
Original announcement - Monday, December 2, 2024 - Morning:
We regret to inform you that the Mercury online course evaluation system is currently down due to unforeseen technical issues. IT Services is working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Staff and students will not be able to access Mercury during this time.
Important update for Microsoft Teams users! Starting November 27, 2024, all newly created Microsoft Teams groups were set to Private by default. If you attempt to create a new team, the Public option will be unavailable (greyed out), as shown below:
