Special opening and service times apply for our IT helpdesk during Carnival:
On Thursday, 08.02.2024 (Altweiber) the IT helpdesk closes at 12:00.
On Friday, 09.02.2024, the IT helpdesk will close at 3 p.m.
On Monday, 12.02.2024 (Rose Monday), the IT helpdesk will be closed all day.
Cloud-based email programs such as the new free Outlook app and other email client applications (please see below) can be used to transmit secret login data and email contents to third parties without notice (see news from December 6, 2023). The use of cloud-based email clients and backup services, therefore, poses a significant threat to data and information security at the University of Bonn, according to the IT security and Data Protection Officer of the university.
The fee-based Outlook programme (from Microsoft Office) is not affected and you can continue to use it. There are currently no security concerns here, as these applications communicate directly with the University of Bonn's email servers and no data is transferred to the Microsoft cloud.
In order to prevent the disclosure of access data and data leakage, the use of the following programmes, in combination with your Uni-ID, is not permitted for information security and data protection reasons and must be discontinued immediately, in accordance with the HRZ user regulations (see § 3 para. 2 clause 5):
- Outlook-App for Android und iOS,
- "New Outlook for Windows" (included in Windows 11 starting with version 23H2),
- Windows Mail (precursor of "New Outlook")
- Outlook for macOS (when using IMAP with CloudSync),
- Google-Mail (Cloud and POP3 direct access),
- Edison Mail,
- Newton,
- BlueMail (under certain conditions on mobile devices),
- Spark and
- Xiaomi Mail.
What to do now?
If you are using one of the programmes listed above, please change the product immediately and then change your Uni-ID password.
The HRZ will block the retrieval of e-mails by cloud-based e-mail programmes from 30 March 2024 by taking appropriate technical measures. This means that you will no longer be able to receive or send emails via the programmes listed above.
Security issues using cloud-backup
Please note that the backup services offered by Google and Apple are highly problematic as well and must not be used, when they cause university data (including login data) to be transferred to external cloud servers.
Due to performance bottlenecks on the database servers, there are currently longer access times to our campus management system BASIS. In order to prevent a system failure, the functions "Notenspiegel" and "Veranstaltungen suchen" are currently not available. In addition, the BASIS campus management system can only be accessed from the university network (BONNET or via a VPN connection) from 18.01.2024 (to identify the causes of the load).
On our website and in the HRZ documentation you will find information and instructions on how to set up a network connection to the university network BONNET and an encrypted connection to the university network (VPN-BONNET).
We are still working hard on the problem and ask for your patience and apologies.
What does providing IT-infrastructure at the University of Bonn mean? How does a typical work day look like for the colleagues at the University IT and Data Center?
In our new video collection 'HRZ - Behind the Scenes', we give insights into the diverse and exciting tasks of our HRZ-team.
The first episode begins in the HRZ network department, which is responsible for the operation and expansion of the university network and the provision of network services in all four campuses in the city (city center, Poppelsdorf, Endenich, Venusberg) and at the teaching and research stations outside the city borders (campus Klein-Altendorf, Wiesengut and Gut Frankenforst).
Last summer, we were able to accompany our colleagues from the network department on a field trip to Königswinter-Vinxel with our camera and learn from Heiko Goertz-Ort, the local IT admin at Gut Frankenforst, why even cows need functioning Wi-Fi.
We hope you enjoy the first episode 'HRZ - Behind the Scenes':
Due to the existing storm warning, the on-site service of the IT helpdesk will close at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
The colleagues at the IT helpdesk can still be reached until 6 p.m. on 0228 73 2751 and by email at info-hrz@uni-bonn.de.
Due to the current situation, we would like to draw your attention once again to the danger of phishing and other emails with malicious content.
There are currently e-mails in circulation warning you to "Validate your e-mail account to avoid closure", allegedly from "IT-Services, Hochschulrechenzentrum, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn". These are phishing emails! Please do not click on the links and delete these emails immediately.
What is the Uni Bonn App, what are the functions and who can use it?
Dr. Anton Sigitov, team leader of the project 'Campus-App' at the University IT and Data Center , answers these and many more questions in the new episode of the podcast "Studierendenfutter", together with Britta Förster from the Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service of the University of Bonn.
We hope you enjoy the Uni Bonn app and the episode of the podcast!
With the Campus-App.nrw project launched in April 2022, a joint framework for a new campus app was developed in collaboration with other universities.
This development sparked the introduction of a campus app at the University of Bonn.
The "Uni Bonn App" will initially include the following functions:
- digital student ID
- digital ID for university employees
- access to the meal plans of the Studierendenwerk
Become a beta tester of the new Uni Bonn app now and support your university with your feedback!
How does it work? Simply enter "Uni Bonn App" in the App Store (or follow the links below), download the app, test it and send your feedback!
The Uni Bonn App is now available for free download for iOS and Android.
Please note: the Uni Bonn App is still in beta testing, i.e. the functions are not yet valid! Students must carry their valid semester ticket and student ID in paper form as usual.