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Cybersecurity Awareness Month Is Here

Dear Bruin Community:

October marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM), an annual, nationwide initiative dedicated to educating individuals and organizations on how to fortify their digital security. As we ramp up for another academic year, it is a great time to be reminded that cybercriminals can strike from anywhere and ongoing cybersecurity awareness training is important to help us sharpen skills and protect against data breaches, phishing, and other cyber threats. According to the Check Point Research Threat Intelligence 2024 Q2 Report, there was a 30% increase year- over-year in global cyber-attacks compared to 2023. Knowing how to identify potential threats and how to respond is imperative to keeping our community safer and more secure online, whether at school, work or home.

Over the next five weeks, UCLA students, staff, and faculty are invited to strengthen their cybersecurity awareness by exploring key topics through a variety of engaging activities and valuable resources to help enhance cybersecurity knowledge and

practices. Links to resources on each of these topics will be available on the UCLA Cybersecurity Awareness website:

  1. Phishing Attacks (Week of October 1)
    Sub-topics: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Privacy, Smishing, Vishing
  2. Internet and Email Use (Week of October 7)
    Sub-topics: Internet & Email Security, Safety in Social Media
  3. Mobile Device Security (Week of October 14)
    Sub-topics: Be smart with Apps
  4. Cloud Security (Week of October 21)
    Sub-topics: Secure your digital life, Protect PII in the Cloud, Identify Compromised Security
  5. Social Engineering (Week of October 28)
    Sub-topics: Enhancing Cybersecurity Awareness

We encourage everyone to actively engage and make use of the available resources to bolster our collective digital defenses. Remember, your actions in the online world can not only put you at risk but can have a significant impact on the security of fellow Bruins and our campus. By being proactive and informed, we can collectively create a safer digital environment for all Bruins. Stay up to date on all of the Cybersecurity Awareness themes and resources by visiting the UCLA Cybersecurity Awareness website and following our #becybersafeUCLA Slack channel.

Thank you all for your commitment to the security of our UCLA community. I wish you a wonderful fall quarter!

Drake Chang
Chief Information Security Officer Information Technology Services