Update 22/10, 14:00:
All UiO services are available again.
What is happening?
Two serious security vulnerabilities have recently been discovered in the software PHP, which is one of the most widely used technologies behind websites and digital services worldwide. As a result, some of the University of Oslo's IT services are temporarily unavailable.
The security vulnerabilities are so severe that unauthorized actors could, in principle, take control of affected systems without logging in. This is a global issue affecting thousands of organizations and is completely beyond UiO's control.
The PHP vendor has released a security update, but it must be tested and installed in a controlled manner on each individual system. Some vendors also need to further adapt the update before it can be used, but we are installing as soon as we receive updates.
What is the IT department doing?
To protect data and users, UiO must temporarily shut down some services that are built on the affected software until the security update has been installed. We are trying to keep as many services available as possible and are only shutting down what is necessary to prevent information from being compromised. Work is ongoing continuously, and affected services will be reopened as soon as the security update is in place and verified. Which services are affected will vary, and system owners will be notified directly if their services are impacted. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes and appreciate your understanding.
Temporarily unavailable services
If you experience that an IT service at UiO is not available, this is most likely the reason. You do not need to report this as an error—the services are temporarily shut down as a necessary security measure. If you have questions about a specific service, you can contact IT Help, UiO’s central IT user support, which can provide you with the current status. We will continually update status.uio.no with information about which services are down and the expected time for them to be back online. The goal is that most services will return to normal operation within a short time. → See also the service message on this issue. The service message will be updated as soon as the situation changes.
UiO takes security seriously and will always prioritize protecting the data of students, staff, and partners. We understand that downtime is challenging, especially for ongoing projects and deadlines. The situation is being monitored by UiO’s security and operations teams, who are working to resolve this as quickly and safely as possible.