Have you ever received an email asking you to log in to keep your email account open? Ever had an email that asked you to help with a money exchange, to transfer funds to their rightful owner? If you have, you’re one of the multitudes who have been the target of a phishing attempt.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, a good time to remind yourself of some digital security basics. Information Technology Services’ Information Security staff will be on hand at UCOP Friday breakfasts over the next three weeks to share tips and answer questions about staying safe online. In the meantime, here are a few do’s and don’ts to protect your personal information and help the university do its job of protecting the information it collects from faculty, staff, students, patients, suppliers and others in the course of doing business:

• DO: Log off or lock your screen when stepping away from your computer.
• DO: Password-protect your laptop, smartphone, tablet and mobile devices.
• DON’T: Leave your laptop, smartphone, tablet or mobile devices unattended.
• DO: Be skeptical of emails encouraging you to visit websites that require login information as well as personal financial information and Social Security numbers. Banks, social media networks and online stores never ask for passwords or private information through email.
• DON’T: Download files from emails unless you know the sender. Even then, exercise caution.

Have questions? Contact infosec@ucop.edu. And if you need to report a phishing attempt, email servicedesk@ucop.edu.

For more information on National Cyber Security Awareness Month, see http://www.dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month.

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