List of communications to campus related to the April 2023 cyberincident.

The fileserver Opal is now available again, with files modified through April 10, 2023.

Due to the current stage of the restore process, you may find that you do not have access to certain files or folders. University Information Technology (UIT) is working on restoring those, as well as the files created or modified after April 10, 2023.

The restoration of Opal will be an extended process. We understand that there may be situations where it is critical to restore certain access more quickly. For those urgently needed files or permissions, please submit a request at the following form: Microsoft Forms. UIT will fulfill those requests in the order in which they were received, accounting for priority.

In addition to Opal, our Helpdesk ticketing system will be brought back online today -- previously UIT was responding to Helpdesk requests via regular email. The return of the ticketing system will result in a significant number of backlogged emails being sent to some in the MSU community, but it also means that you will be able to resume emailing [email protected] or your local IT support to generate tickets for more consistent communication and tracking of IT assistance.

There are also some additional changes that you can expect to see today:

  • The "remember me" time for Duo sessions will be reduced to 10 hours.
  • Sessions for MSU computers will lock after 15 minutes of inactivity, as defined by industry best practice, requiring that you re-enter your password before continuing to work.

Your continued patience is appreciated as we ensure a safe restoration of these critical services.

Over the past three days, University Information Technology (UIT) continued to make progress returning Montana State University services to normal operation. In that time, over 117 servers associated with campus services have been brought back into operation.

Work is ongoing to restore full file server operations. Some of the campus computer services that have been returned to operation include:

  • Knox
  • Axiom Elite
  • Keeper Password Manager
  • Banner emails
  • Intellicheck
  • Argos
  • CatCard systems
  • Orientation registration

UIT thanks you for your understanding and patience as work continues. You can check on the status of MSU services, at https://www.montana.edu/communications/april2023cyberincident, where you'll find a link to the updated Services Status page as well as a list of frequently asked questions.

If you have questions about services or need IT support, please email [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 406-994-1777

As work continues to return Montana State University's services to normal operation, University Information Technology (UIT) wishes to remind all NetID users to reset their passwords by visiting the Self-Service Password Portal at http://password.montana.edu. Please note, any passwords that have not been changed by the end of the day will be reset automatically.

Additionally, starting today, you can view the status of MSU services on a new web page. A link to the Services Status page is posted prominently at https://www.montana.edu/communications/april2023cyberincident. To view the page, you will need to log in with your NetID.

UIT is updating the Services Status page on an ongoing basis. If you have a question about a service that is not listed there, send an email to [email protected].

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

We continue to work diligently to restore Montana State University services to normal operations. As part of this process, all users must reset their NetID password.

All students, faculty and staff should go to the Self-Service NetID Password Portal at http://password.montana.edu and follow the link to "Go to the password portal." There, please follow the instructions to reset your NetID password. If you are using a device connected to MSU-Secure, you may need to connect to MSU-Guest temporarily in order to reach the password portal.

After resetting your NetID password, don't forget to update it on every device and app where it is used, such as email apps and MSU-Secure Wi-Fi.

Any passwords that have not been updated by the end of the day tomorrow, Friday, April 28, will be reset automatically. You will still be able to reset your password through the password portal at your convenience after that point.

If you have questions, please refer to information posted to the Self-Service NetID Password Portal website. If you have needs beyond what that site can answer, please contact the UIT Help Desk at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 406-994-1777.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

MSU University Information Technology (UIT) continues to restore services after the cyberattack on Montana State University's network last Thursday.

To date, many network services have been restored. UIT teams continue to register progress and have even been able to achieve some milestones ahead of schedule.

Work remains to bring our systems fully back online. UIT teams continue working hard to bring all services back into complete operation.

This week, UIT will need your help. MSU users will be asked to take specific actions, such as resetting passwords. These and other possible actions will aid in our overall recovery and will help bolster our overall network security. Your collaboration will be greatly appreciated.

If you have specific issues, please contact the UIT Service Desk at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 994-1777.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.