A new e-mail phishing scam is currently circulating Cornell, directing users to an almost exact replica of Cornell’s authentication site, C.U. WebLogin.

Only five months after the University smoothly converted over 15,000 users to Cmail, a Google-based e-mailing system, Cornell Information Technologies is looking to provide a Microsoft-based equivalent, Umail, in the coming months, adding another option for Cornell community members to access their e-mails.

Problematic negotiations have stalled Cornell’s adoption of Umail, but CIT expects the issues to be resolved by February and available for all students by the end of spring, according to Chuck Boeheim, CIT’s assistant director of systems services.

“Microsoft was late with a few features,” Boeheim said, so until Microsoft meets their promise to correct the problems, CIT will not offer the new program.

As part of a transition to third-party e-mail vendors, the University is slated to announce later this week that starting on Thursday students will be able to access their Cornell e-mail through a Google-based server, like Gmail, called “Cmail”

Cmail, provided by Google Apps Education Edition, is currently available to new, incoming students when they activate their Net ID. The University will offer another third-party e-mail alternative –– through Microsoft-based services, Microsoft Live and Outlook Live –– starting this fall.

Features such as Google Talk (instant messaging and video chat), Google calendars, Google sites, and Google Docs will be available to all Cornell students using Cmail. In addition, students will keep their current NetID@cornell.edu with Cmail.