SINGAPORE – The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) have asked their staff and students to reset their passwords as an added precaution following a global data breach.

In an e-mail sent on May 10 seen by The Straits Times, NUS said staff and students who had previously logged in to Canvas should reset their NUS passwords.

Affected users will be prompted to do so when they next access NUS IT services, including their e-mails, VPN or other systems requiring NUS authorisation.

As it continued to monitor the situation, NUS said Canvas has been placed under controlled access, adding that only selected users who require Canvas for critical academic or operational purposes will be granted access.

The measure will be in effect from May 11 to 14. NUS added that it will review the situation on May 14 to see if an extension is necessary.

“These steps are intended to mitigate the risk of unauthorised access during this period of increased vigilance,” said NUS.

Separately, SIM sent out an e-mail to its alumni on May 9 advising them to change their passwords on SIM platforms.

It added that they should also change it on all other accounts where the same password is used.

They should also check the login page before entering their credentials and look out for unusual signs, including unexpected messages, pop-ups or prompts for unfamiliar information, SIM said.

“Be alert to phishing. Expect scam e-mails or messages referencing Canvas, your SIM e-mail or your student ID. Do not click links in suspicious messages,” the e-mail read.

SIM also advised its alumni to avoid logging in from public or shared devices.