File-sharing can heighten risks to you and the University. As an Internet Service Provider (under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act), UC Berkeley does not monitor its networks for the purpose of discovering illegal activity. However, we act to make sure that Copyright, especially as it applies to digital assets, is respected within the Campus community.
August 5, 2019
July 31, 2019
While ransomware is nothing new, it's been popping up more and more in higher ed. Each week brings news of colleges and universities that have fallen victim to ransomware attacks. Some hackers demand payment, while others steal personal data (to sell to identity thieves). Whatever the motives are, school systems around the country have been the targets of recent attacks.
July 21, 2019
Robocalls are on the rise. Be wary of any pre-recorded messages you might receive.
July 17, 2019
July 9, 2019
July 8, 2019
June 24, 2019
Beginning August 13, Offsite Hostname requests will move to NetReg.
June 18, 2019
June 3, 2019
Karl Grose, one of the founding fathers of CalNet, is retiring.
May 22, 2019
You may have noticed some changes here at security.berkeley.edu. The Information Security and Policy office has taken a new name and undergone a website redesign. We are now The Information Security Office or ISO. Don't worry, all of our great content is still here. The new layout may take some getting used to, but our search function is better than ever and can help you find what you are looking for.
May 21, 2019
May 14, 2019
Summary
*** Vulnerable RDP servers should be patched IMMEDIATELY even where there is a potential business impact (unscheduled maintenance). Notify security@berkeley.edu if you anticipate any delays in patching. ***
Summary
A zero-day elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the way Microsoft Windows Error Reporting (WER) handles files. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode.
While details about the use of the exploit are not available, it has reportedly been used in limited attacks against specific targets. Successful exploitation has been observed in the wild. [2][3]
April 10, 2019
Overview
Every Windows product has a lifecycle and that lifecycle ends when it no longer receives security updates or fixes, software updates, and/or technical support. On Jan. 14, 2020 Microsoft will discontinue support for the Windows 7 Operating System. Without security, patches these systems will be easy targets for hackers, malware, and viruses.
March 14, 2019
A couple of recent phishing scams, referred to as a “Business Email Compromise (BEC),” have been targeting universities to steal funds through the purchasing process.
The first phishing scam targets suppliers that do business with campus by using Berkeley emails as the hook. These attacks involve purchase orders and requests for quotes that appear to come from the University, but are in fact fraudulent.
Be Alert:
March 8, 2019
Starting March 11th services that use Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) will require CalNet 2-Step Authentication.
Examples of software include CalShare and Microsoft 365.
February 21, 2019
Summary
A highly critical bug has been discovered in Drupal that can be used for remote code execution [1]. Drupal is a Content Management System (CMS) commonly used to host websites. In the past this sort of exploit has been used to deliver remote access tools, ransomware, and cryptominers to web servers [2]. Based on similar exploits against various CMS software in the past, we can expect that attackers will begin exploiting this software quickly.
February 20, 2019
Reserve your seat at DataEDGE 2019, the UC Berkeley School of Information's annual data science conference scheduled for April 23, 2019.
We are excited to announce that the Information Security and Policy Office is launching a Security Internship Program for staff. This is a unique opportunity for employees to work alongside the Security Operations and Assessments & Compliance teams. The internship is a chance for current Berkeley employees to develop a professional skill set in the information security domain and achieve breadth and depth of knowledge in the field. Interns will strengthen their career path potential, network with new colleagues, and contribute to the campus mission.