At the end of 2022, Microsoft disabled 'basic authentication' for University services. 'Basic authentication' is where an application sends a username and password with every request. This method of sign-in unfortunately makes it easier for attackers to capture user credentials.It is being replaced by so-called 'modern authentication', whereby the username and the password are encrypted and sent separately, thereby being more secure.When is this happening?The turning off basic authentication is not a School or University decision, but is being applied globally by Microsoft.January 2023 was the original projected period for the disabling of basic authentication, but this was brought forward to begin from the end of the first week of December 2022.Service Alert on deprecation of basic authenticationWhy have I received an email on this?Our logs show you currently use an email client, most likely on a personal (non-Uni-managed) device that is connecting to University Microsoft services using the old 'basic authentication' method.It is import to update before the deadline, as after that the email client in question will no longer be able to connect.You can recognise an email client still using basic authentication as follows: How dialog boxes appear when using basic and modern authentication Image Basic AuthenticationFor email clients using basic authentication, the dialog boxes will generally appear asking for a username and password together in one go, such as in this image. Image Modern AuthenticationUsing modern authentication the dialog boxes will appear asking for a username on its own, and, after that has been sent, will only then move on to ask for the password.This keeps the username and password separate from each other and thereby far more secure.For University email accounts, you would enter your username in the format username@ed.ac.uk (naturally swapping in your own Uni username). Moving to modern authenticationOn University-managed computers, the primary supported email client, Microsoft Outlook, should already be up-to-date.You are therefore likely to only need to update any third-party email client you may be using on your computer. On a Windows computerInstall Microsoft Office (includes Outlook)If you don't already have it, please visit /computing/comms-and-collab/office365/latest-office to acquire and install Microsoft Office.Open Outlook and set up your Office 365 account as per the instructions at Add an email account to OutlookUsing another email clientIf you are currently using a third-party client for your email, we strongly recommend you download Microsoft Office as above. As part of the University's Office 365 suite of services and applications, Outlook fully integrates and supports modern, more secure authentication.Use of third-party email clients unfortunately cannot be supported by the University, so if, after you update to the latest version of it, your one doesn't work with modern authentication, you should please liaise with the manufacturer of the client and, in the meantime, use the Office 365 web interface at https://www.office365.ed.ac.uk to access your email.Please see the section on 'Third-Party (Unsupported) Email Clients' below.On an Apple MacApple MailOn an older operating systemThe Mac's in-built Apple Mail email client is updated along with the Mac's operating system, so as long as the OS is updated to at least later than macOS 10.13, it should be able to work with modern authentication. To check, please do the following:Go to the Apple Menu > System PreferencesClick Software Update and follow any instructions on updating the Mac's operating systemAfter the OS upgrade, open Apple Mail and set up your Office 365 account as per the instructions at Add an email account to Apple Mail (PDF)On an up-to-date operating systemIf your Mac's operating system is already up-to-date, you may need to remove and re-add your Uni email account to get it to work:Navigate to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Internet AccountsHighlight your Uni email account and press the minus sign to remove it.Add the account back as per the info at https://www.docs.is.ed.ac.uk/docs/Subjects/Email/Office365/office365-applemail.pdfMake sure when you are logging into it your username is in the format username@ed.ac.uk where you swap in your Uni username (e.g. jbloggs1@ed.ac.uk)Install Microsoft Office (includes Outlook)If you don't already have it, please visit /computing/comms-and-collab/office365/latest-office to acquire and install Microsoft Office.Open Outlook and set up your Office 365 account as per the instructions at Add an email account to Outlook (PDF)Using another email clientIf you are currently using a third-party client for your email, we strongly recommend you download Microsoft Office as above. As part of the University's Office 365 suite of services and applications, Outlook fully integrates and supports modern, more secure authentication.Use of third-party email clients unfortunately cannot be supported by the University, so if, after you update to the latest version of it, your one doesn't work with modern authentication, you should please liaise with the manufacturer of the client and, in the meantime, use the Office 365 web interface at https://www.office365.ed.ac.uk to access your email.Please see the section on 'Third-Party (Unsupported) Email Clients' below.On an iOS / Android device Image Already using Microsoft Outlook?Ensure you download the latest version of Outlook for iOS and Android, then sign out of your account and back in.You should see a sign-in page similar to the one shown here. You are now using the more secure authentication method once you are able sign in successfully. Using another email clientIf you are currently using a third-party client for your email, we strongly recommend you download Outlook for iOS and Android. As part of the University's Office 365 suite of services and applications, Outlook fully integrates and supports modern, more secure authentication.Use of third-party email clients unfortunately cannot be supported by the University, so if, after you update to the latest version of it, your one doesn't work with modern authentication, you should please liaise with the manufacturer of the client and, in the meantime, use the Office 365 web interface at https://www.office365.ed.ac.uk to access your email.Please see the section on 'Third-Party (Unsupported) Email Clients' below. Third-Party (Unsupported) Email ClientsThe University Information Services can unfortunately offer little or no assistance in getting unsupported email clients working.If you need assistance with one, please read through the advice below or contact either your local School/dept. IT team or the client's manufacturer for further advice.Advice on connecting with unsupported email clientsGeneral adviceIf your third-party email client is not listed below, please try this general advice:Check whether your email offers "native Exchange" support (very few clients that don't come from Microsoft will do this).If it doesn't offer native support, then it is almost certainly using the IMAP protocol to access the Office 365 Exchange server. You will need to check whether the client supports IMAP authentication via "OAuth2", the industry-standard protocol for authorization. If it doesn't, then it's time to start planning a move to an email client which will continue working, such as Microsoft Outlook.Client-specific adviceAlpineVersions of Alpine newer than 2.24 can be configured to use OAuth2 with IMAP.Details can be found at https://computing.help.inf.ed.ac.uk/basicauthMuttMutt 2.0 has OAuth support: http://www.mutt.org/relnotes/2.0/See also a relevant link on refresh script usage: https://luxing.im/mutt-integration-with-gmail-using-oauth/ThunderbirdVersion 77 or later of Thunderbird supports modern authentication via OAuth2.After ensuring your Thunderbird is up-to-date, please make the following changes:Navigate to Account Settings > Server Settings > Security Settings > Authentication MethodSelect OAuth2 from the Authentication Method there.Next, go down to the Outgoing Server (SMTP) settings section at the bottom, click "Edit", and set them as follows: Description: University of Edinburgh email (or other description)Server Name: smtp.office365.comPort: 587 (default)User Name: username@ed.ac.uk ( for example, s1234567@ed.ac.uk or jbloggs1@ed.ac.uk )Authentication Method: OAuth2Connection Security: STARTTLS FAQsI'm finding it hard to track down which of my devices is using basic authenticationPlease contact the IS Helpline via the contact details below and we can check what connection 'protocol' your device is connecting with in an effort to hopefully be able to pin down which device/email client it is.In cases where we are then together unable to track down the device that is using basic authentication, it will simply be unable to connect when basic authentication is finally disabled, which will then be apparent to you if you later go to use it to connect to your email.If it is a device that you use every day, you should be able to switch to modern authentication at that time, and we will be able to assist with advice.If it is an old device that you no longer use or require, then switching to modern authentication will not be required.I cannot use Microsoft Outlook on my deviceThis is rare. Most mobile device built-in email apps for the popular platforms typically support modern authentication as well as being able to install Outlook, but it is possible that some users are not able to use Outlook for email.If you are in this category, verify that your device is running the latest version of its email app. If the email app is at its current version, sign out and back into your account after the removal of basic authentication for the University's Office 365 service at the end of 2022.If you are notified that you are still using basic authentication after you have done the above, you might need to remove the account from the device and then add it back. In the meantime, use the Office 365 web interface at https://www.office365.ed.ac.uk to access your email.I cannot use Apple Mail on my up-to-date Mac or iOS device after basic authentication has been disabledAfter basic authentication is disabled, you may find you receive a message in Apple Mail on your Mac or iOS device that it cannot connect to your account.Whilst the Outlook app is the recommended app on Mac and iOS, you should also be able to use Apple Mail for your Uni email, however, you may need to remove it first and then re-add it:MacNavigate to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Internet AccountsHighlight your Uni email account and press the minus sign to remove it.Add the account back as per the info at https://www.docs.is.ed.ac.uk/docs/Subjects/Email/Office365/office365-applemail.pdfMake sure when you are logging into it your username is in the format username@ed.ac.uk where you swap in your Uni username (e.g. jbloggs1@ed.ac.uk)iOSGo to Settings > Mail > Accounts, click on your account and choose to delete it.Add the account back as per the info at https://www.docs.is.ed.ac.uk/docs/Subjects/Email/Office365/iOS_3795.pdfMake sure when you are logging into it your username is in the format username@ed.ac.uk where you swap in your Uni username (e.g. jbloggs1@ed.ac.uk)Need any help?If you are having any difficulty accessing your Uni email via an older client, please try logging into the web interface at https://www.office365.ed.ac.ukFor any other issues, please: HTML Contact the IS Helpline This article was published on 2024-10-08
