Toolkit

Data Privacy and You

January 8, 2020
In honor of International Data Privacy Day, January 28

Data Privacy Day Logo

All of us exist in digital form on the Internet. When you're online you leave a trail of "digital exhaust" in the form of cookies, GPS data, social network posts, browser searches, and email exchanges, among others. Services that you don’t even use may have information about you. And once something is online, it can be there forever.

It is important to...

Resurgence of Ransomware in Higher Ed

May 21, 2020
Casey Hennig

Ransomware is not new; but, 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.

Here are four things you can do to protect yourself: 1. Back it up. Daily.

Use a...

Preventing Social Engineering Attacks

August 18, 2020
Casey Hennig
Social Engineering criminals focus their attention at attacking people as opposed to infrastructure. Social engineering begins with research; an attacker may look for publicly available information that they can use against you. These attacks can come in a variety of formats: email, voicemail, SMS messages, DMs, or via social media and attempt to prey on your respect for authority, courtesy, or trust.

Why Reusing Passwords is a Bad Idea

April 16, 2021

"I have a really great passphrase, it's long and easy to remember, so I use it on all my accounts."

Sound familiar? Why is it so hard for us to abandon this idea that reusing passphrases is a bad idea? Well, we're humans and humans tend to rationalize to confirm our decisions. "What are the chances that someone will get my password and compromise my account, I mean, will that really happen to me?" Well, it turns out it does - and more frequently that you might imagine.

According to...

Watch out for suspicious solicitations for new bank account

October 4, 2021

UC has learned that names, Social Security numbers, and other personal information of some members of the UC community may have been used in attempts to open unauthorized bank accounts at financial institutions such as Chime and Go2Bank. Some of these UC community members are receiving emails from these institutions asking them to confirm a new account by clicking on a link in the email. It is unclear how personal information was obtained to open unauthorized accounts.

UC has been in touch with both Chime and Go2Bank, and both companies are currently cooperating with UC to...

Recognizing & Avoiding Job Scams

September 22, 2021
Are you on the lookout for flexible, part-time employment to help cover school expenses? If so, watch out for scams.

Between the COVID-19 pandemic and high unemployment rates, the pressure to find a job may create more pressure for you to find work quickly. UC Berkeley has received numerous reports of employment scams where the sender impersonates Berkeley professors, researchers, and/or university departments. Some scams are easy to spot but how do you know who to trust?

Start with these basic guidelines: Be skeptical. If a job...

Financial Phishing Attacks

October 11, 2021
Watch out for financial "spear phishing" emails.

These may look like they come from a supervisor or manager and request that you send funds, transfer money, provide banking information, buy gift cards, or provide something of value to the sender.

Spear phishing attacks have increased dramatically over the past few years as scammers get more sophisticated. UC employees have been targeted on multiple occasions. Scammers send realistic looking...