Announcements
July 8, 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.
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 20, 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.
Reserve your seat at DataEDGE 2019, the UC Berkeley School of Information's annual data science conference scheduled for April 23, 2019.
January 28, 2019
We all exist in digital form on the Internet. While online you leave a trail of your digital self in the form of cookies, GPS data, social media posts, browser searches, email exchanges... the list goes on. Your footprint is vast and once something is online, it can be there forever.
That’s what Data Privacy Day is all about. Recognizing that owning your online presence will help to protect your identity, finances, and reputation – both now and in the future.
January 24, 2019
W-2 wage statements became available online this week and every year several convincing phishing messages are crafted by tax scammers and sent to Campus to trick victims into giving out personal information. Taxpayers should continue to watch out for fake emails and/or websites looking to steal personal information during the 2019 filing season.
January 11, 2019
A widely reported spear phishing scam, termed “Business Email Compromise (BEC),” has been targeting universities and other academic institutions. These attacks are spear phishing scams designed to impersonate someone you know in an attempt to gain access to sensitive information or to encourage you to transfer funds or provide gift cards. There has been an increase of these assaults across the University this new year.
October 4, 2018
The goal of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) – celebrated every October – is to ensure that all Americans have the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online. Check out these offerings to find an event near you, or a webinar of interest.
***highlighted event***
Oct 16, 11AM-1PM
UCOP Cyber Security Awareness Month Forum
UCOP, 1111 Franklin St., Oakland, CA, Lobby 1 Conference Room
September 25, 2018
To our campus community,
We are implementing some necessary updates to our Wi-Fi network that will require some action on your part. On Oct. 2, 2018 at 7 a.m., the Airbears2 and eduroam wireless networks will be updated with a new certificate. After this update is complete, devices attempting to connect to either wireless network will be presented with a message similar to one of the three examples shown below (message will vary based on the device and operating system you are using):
Example 1: MacOS X 10.13 (MacBook Air)
September 19, 2018
This is a reminder that throughout the UC system, we have a shared responsibility of information security. This can mean everything from daily practices around secure passphrases, encrypting laptops, and setting up CalNet 2-Step, all the way to making sure servers have the latest patches and are behind bSecure firewalls.
New Policy
New Policy
August 8, 2018
If you an IT Security professional and want to join a talented and dynamic team, check out our available job openings at: https://security.berkeley.edu/about/job-postings
July 12, 2018
NSF’s new Research Terms and Conditions (effective March 1, 2018) require recipients of NSF funding to protect Personally Identifiable Information within the scope of an NSF award. Article 35 states:
July 9, 2018
The Campus Policy for Minimum Security Standards for Electronic Information (MSSEI) [1] requires departments to register computer systems and applications containing restricted data. Restricted Data is defined as "any confidential or personal information that is protected by law or policy, and that requires the highest level of access control and security protections whether in storage or in transit" [2] and further refined based on adverse business impact into "High" or Protection Level 2 and "Moderate" or Protection Level 1. [3]
June 12, 2018
In the last few months, our office has received an increasing number of laptop theft reports. These incidents occurred both on and off campus, and in varying circumstances, however, in all the recent cases the laptops involved were not configured for Full Disk Encryption (FDE). In a few of these cases, the laptops were used to access sensitive data as part of campus business processes, and the Security team is concerned about possible data exposure due to lost and stolen devices with access to campus protected data.
January 19, 2018
The Internal Revenue Service has reported a big spike in phishing and malware incidents during the 2016 and 2017 tax seasons.