BE CYBERSMART

Red Flags, Real Careers:

Cybersecurity Careers and Skill-Building Seminar

UC Riverside invites university students, faculty, and staff from across the UC system and inland empire to attend a free, full-day seminar to discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity and the diversity of careers available in the cybersecurity field. Attendees will learn how to spot red flags, test their skills with games, including novice and advanced capture the flag sessions, improve their resume with a resume-building workshop, and hear from experts about various career paths.

No experience is required, and you’re welcome to stay all day or drop in for the sessions that interest you most.

Location: Highlander Union Building (HUB) 302 South, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521

Date: Monday, November 9, 2026

Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Host: UCR Information Technology Solutions

Register for the Seminar

Who is this event for?

All UC students, faculty, and staff;
Students, faculty, and staff from our neighboring universities and community colleges (California Baptist University, California State University, San Bernardino, La Sierra University, Loma Linda University, Riverside Community College District, University of Redlands);
Staff working for the County of Riverside or City of Riverside

Seminar to include:

Keynote: Dr. Yue Dong, assistant professor of computer science and engineering at UC Riverside, will discuss her research, how AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape, and why students may want to consider pursuing work in this field.
Careers in Cybersecurity panel discussion: A panel of experts will discuss their unique paths to cybersecurity-related careers, the skills that are becoming key to cybersecurity work, advice for those entering the job force, and emerging trends in cybersecurity attacks.
Capture the Flag competitions: Two hands-on challenges hosted by Corelight. The Novice session at 10 AM is built for first-timers. The Advanced session at 1 PM is for those ready to test their skills. Amazing prizes for session winners! Note: Separate registration is required and you may only register for one session.
Table Talks: Sit down with an expert and pick their brain about cybersecurity and careers.
“Spot the Red Flag” live game: Over lunch, volunteers compete game-show style to call out real scams targeting students.
Resume-building Workshop: Learn how to build a resume that gets noticed.
Hosted lunch: Buffet style lunch provided to all full-day registrants.

Cyber Attacks to Watch Out For

Higher education and research institutions are often targeted by cybercriminals to gain access to valuable information. Here are three common cyberattacks to watch out for.

Phishing, Smishing, and Vishing

Should you trust that email, text message, or call?

Malicious actors can use emails, text messages, or calls to attempt to steal personal or private information. These messages or calls are crafted to seem legitimate but are actually used to capture sensitive information, which can put you and the university at risk.

Here are some warning signs to look out for:

Language that creates a sense of urgency or ultimatum
Request for upfront payment (even if it appears to be from a “trusted” person)
Request for sensitive information like usernames and passwords
Slightly modified email addresses or unknown mobile numbers
Out of context requests
Bad grammar, punctuation, or spelling
Links with no clear destination or links to unfamiliar websites
QR codes

Level up your defense: Read more on phishing scams

Flag Phishing with "Report Suspicious"

ClickFix Campaigns

Is that website really trying to help you?

ClickFix is a social engineering tactic that uses fake technical issues or human-verification prompts to trick you into copying and executing malicious commands. This user-assisted attack bypasses traditional security and can instantly infect your device with malware.

If you encounter a website pop-up urging immediate action, simply close the page or tab.

Look out for these red-flag instructions:

Press the Windows key + R
Open PowerShell, Terminal, or Command Prompt
Copy and/or paste this code
Run this to prove you’re not a robot
Install this update or extension to continue

Remember: Always use built-in system settings for updates and never run commands you don't fully understand. UCR Information Technology Solutions (ITS) and legitimate companies will never ask you to paste commands from a website.

Dig deeper: Learn how ClickFix and FakeUpdate campaigns work

Report ClickFix Scams

Job Scams

Was the job offer you received the real deal?

Job scams are a type of email scam wherein the attacker impersonates someone from UCR or other legitimate companies and tricks their targeted victims into sending money or providing sensitive information.

Using social engineering tactics, the attacker may ask students to send resumés, bank account numbers, social security numbers, addresses, birthdays, research data, gift card codes, etc.

Here are the red flags to watch out for:

Pressure to act fast
No company name provided
Promise of high payment for a minimal amount of work
Being asked to open an email attachment in order to view the job offer
Offers to send money
Requests for money or gift card codes
Requests to communicate through non-UCR channels (text message, non-UCR email, other applications, etc.)
A job offer you did not apply for
Awkward sentence phrasing and spelling or grammar errors

Apply for legitimate UCR jobs: Visit UCR Handshake

Report Job Scam Emails

Report A Security Concern

UC Riverside is a prime target of cybercriminal attacks such as phishing, ClickFix campaigns, job offer scams, and ransomware.

If you notice suspicious activity on your UCR account, computer, tablet, or mobile device, please report it immediately to the ITS Information Security Office.

REPORT A SECURITY CONCERN

EMAIL ABUSE@UCR.EDU

Cybersecurity Tips

Do your part - be cybersmart!

Follow the tips below to help ensure your personal and financial data stays safe while working and learning at UCR.

Want to make sure your data is safe, but don't know where to begin?

This video provides simple steps you can take towards making sure your data is secure.

Report Suspicious Emails the UCR Way

Cyber attacks such as phishing and job scams are serious threats to UCR. By using the “Report Suspicious” tool, you can protect yourself and the entire UCR community. Each report triggers an immediate investigation by UCR's Information Security Office. If a threat is found, they remove it from UCR's systems while ensuring that all sensitive personal data are handled securely. The table below summarizes the difference between UCR and Gmail's reporting tools.

Report Suspicious (formerly PhishAlarm) UCR's reporting tool	Report Phishing Gmail's reporting tool
Automatically installed as an add-on in your UCR Gmail account	Built-in Gmail feature
Protects the Highlander community	Protects only your personal UCR email account
Your report goes to UCR's Information Security Office for immediate review and action	Your report goes only to Google and they may or may not take action
Helps remove the threat from UCR's systems	Only moves the suspicious email to your personal spam folder
Helps protect Highlanders' personal data from campus-wide cyber attacks	Does not trigger a campus-wide cyber defense

Received a suspicious email and aren't sure what to do next?

Watch this quick video to learn how to find and use the "Report Suspicious" tool in your UCR Gmail account to protect yourself and the entire Highlander community.

Four key ways to keep the cybercriminals at bay:

Use VPN

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Use the campus VPN (vpn.ucr.edu) when accessing UCR resources. For guidance on how to download and install the campus VPN, visit the ITS knowledge base.

Update Your Software

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Make sure your internet-connected devices are running on the latest software. This means updating your mobile phone, tablet, computer, Wi-Fi router, and any other device connected to the internet, when you are prompted by your device provider.

Report Suspicious Communications

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Keep ITS in the loop! If you receive suspicious communications, report it using the Report Suspicious tool (formerly known as PhishAlarm) in your UCR email account (learn how).

To report a security concern, you may submit an IT ticket or send our Information Security Office an email at abuse@ucr.edu.

Stay Current

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Visit the ITS Information Security Office blog for the latest cybersecurity news at UCR.

Request A Consultation

The ITS Information Security Office is your partner in data security.

If you are looking for cybersecurity resources, unit-specific data, or security policy information, please send us an email.

Request a Consultation

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