UCR's Storage Reclamation Efforts

In keeping with UCR's planned storage reclamation efforts, over-quota alumni and ineligible Google Workspace accounts were recently reset or deactivated, respectively. This process permanently deleted the data associated with these accounts. As a result, ITS is no longer able to offer any data recovery support.

Workaround for Student Registration Issues

UCR is aware of the registration issues that students are experiencing and is working with the vendor to resolve the root issue.  They have identified the defect and are committed to giving us a fix as quickly as they can. Until that time, a potential workaround is to refresh the page using Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) to resolve blank pages or non-functional buttons without clearing the browser's cache and logging out and back in.

UCR Phishing Email Simulations

By ITS Staff |

Keeping our campus safe is a top priority. A critical part of campus safety means keeping our electronic data such as research, grades, and personal information away from those who should not have it.  Phishing (pronounced ‘fishing’) is one of the most common attack methods used by cybercriminals today. In fact, over 91 percent of cyber-attacks start with a phishing email, and three out of four organizations have experienced phishing attacks.

With electronic mail being a mainstay of personal and professional communication, malicious actors often utilize email in an attempt to steal personal or private information. Phishing emails are crafted to look legitimate but contain malicious programming or content used to capture sensitive data, which can put you and your workplace at risk.

Ongoing training on how to identify and avoid phishing scams is critical to cybersecurity at UCR. To help educate the campus and assess how well UCR responds to phishing attempts, Information Technology Solutions (ITS) is launching a phishing email simulation campaign that will run from February to June, 2020.

Between February and June 2020, a series of emails will be sent out to UCR faculty, staff, and students (@ucr.edu addresses) that will closely mimic an email phishing scam. Your job is to identify these phishing simulation emails and forward them immediately to abuse@ucr.edu

If you accidentally engage with one of the phishing simulation emails, you will be presented with a ‘learning moment’ containing tips and reminders on how to avoid phishing scams. At the end of the campaign, a high-level "campus report card" will be created and shared with campus administrators. Please be aware that any engagements with phishing simulation emails will not be reported at the individual level.

Fortunately, there are simple ways to spot a phishing email. Here are some warning signs to look out for:

  • Bad grammar or punctuation 
  • Strange fonts or paragraph spacing 
  • Slightly modified email addresses 
  • Forms that ask for sensitive information like usernames and passwords
  • Links to strange websites
  • Requests for money from what appears to be a “trusted” person

UCR Information Technology Solutions would like to thank you for your participation in this phishing simulation campaign. Together as a campus, we can ensure that our information remains safe and secure.

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