Inside this issue…

• Cybersecurity Awareness
• In the Know: What’s happening in ISO & Berkeley IT
• In the News: Top Stories in Cyber Security+
• Policy Updates 
• Grow Your Cyber Skills with Professional Development
• Upcoming Events

Cybersecurity Awareness

This year’s national theme is Secure Our World. Visit our 2023 ISO Cybersecurity Awareness Webpage to access events, helpful resources, and articles to help keep you safe at work and home.

• Full Disk Encryption protects the data on your device in the event it is lost or stolen. ISO has put together an overview on why it is important to enable disc encryption, as well as instructions for both Windows and macOS devices

• Four Reasons You Shouldn’t Use a Personal Computer for Work (Click here to read the full article)

• Don’t Blame the Victim: ‘Fraud Shame’ and Cybersecurity - Remember, cyber fraud and other cyber crimes are crimes. Focus on reporting and supporting, not blaming and shaming. 

• UCOP Systemwide Cyber Champions has announced a theme of Protect Your Digital Life – Be Cyber Safe. Lia Grant, our Berkeley Information Security Office representative on the Systemwide Cyber Champions Workgroup, will be hosting a fun game of Jeopardy: The Cybersecurity Edition! And Stump the CISOs, where we have CISOs from across the system, try their hand at a slightly more difficult version of our Jeopardy Game!

  • Save the Dates:

    • Jeopardy: The Cybersecurity Edition: Oct. 12 and Oct. 17, 12-1 p.m.
    • Stump the CISOs: Date is TBD

  • Details and Registration for the event will be sent out soon! And we encourage you to come and join the fun!

In the Know: What’s happening in ISO & Berkeley IT

• The Information Security Office (ISO), along with the Cloud Operations (bCloud) team, is officially rolling out a new cloud security service using Prisma Cloud. This service is already monitoring all eligible accounts and starting Nov. 1, ISO will start sending tickets on security issues. As part of the ticketing rollout, Security Contacts will gain access to monitor the cloud environments registered to them.

  • Benefits of this service:

    • This service will work with the bCloud-supported Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure (Azure), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).[2]
    • Extends intrusion detection and vulnerability scanning/monitoring to the cloud environments.
    • Helps Campus cloud users meet MSSEI requirements 1.2, 1.3, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 12.1, and 12.2.
    • Improves your cloud security posture and reduces campus risk.
    • Facilitates moving high-risk data into the cloud (P3 and P4 compliance).
    • Provides cloud account administrators visibility into the security data used by ISO

  • To support Security Contacts in becoming familiar with the service and tool, training will be made available. We encourage everyone who is a Security Contact with cloud accounts to participate in one of the opportunities below. 

    • Training Dates:

      • Oct. 13, 2023, 1 p.m. PST 
      • Nov. 13, 2023, 2 p.m. PST 
      • Sign up for a session here 

• Implementation of Lived Name for students is on target to go live on Oct. 8. CalCentral will provide name information to the campus to be displayed in campus systems including the campus directory and Google Mail. These changes will bring UC Berkeley closer to our goal of implementing the University of California Gender Recognition and Lived Name (GRLN) Policy and honoring our campus communities' lived identities.

  • Where can I get more information or help?

    • If you have questions about this policy, please visit UC Berkeley's Gender Recognition and Lived Name Policy information page at grln.berkeley.edu 

• Friendly reminder on the required use of @berkeley.edu email for University Business.  Please remind your staff and University customers of the importance of using your @berkeley.edu email for all university business. 

  • What you can do now to ensure you are in compliance with policy:

• Use your UC Berkeley email for all university business — for both sending and receiving. 
• Turn off any automatic forwarding you may have set up that sends your Berkeley email to a non-Berkeley account.
• Use your UC Berkeley email for communication in all business systems, including those that do not require CalNet authentication.
• List your UC Berkeley or other UC email in the campus directory on your syllabus, etc.
• Learn more about the policy requirements associated with the use of a Berkeley email address. If you have questions, please share them using this form.

In the News: Top Stories in Cyber Security+

• MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment attacks raise new concerns about social engineering tactics

  • MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have recently reported large and costly ransomware attacks. The attacks were reportedly social engineering attacks in which the attackers called the help desks pretending to be employees who had lost their password. Caesar’s has reported that it paid the attackers $15 million to keep the attackers from doing further damage. MGM, in contrast, did not pay the hackers who then crippled many parts of their operation including door keys and slot machines. It took MGM 10 days to return to normal operation.

• Other trending stories

  • Experts Fear Crooks are Cracking Keys Stolen in LastPass Breach
  • Apple fixes zero-day bugs used to plant Pegasus spyware
  • University of Michigan shuts down network after cyberattack

Policy Updates

As we approach the milestone of completing the initial IS-3 onboarding for all campus academic and administrative units, we would like to recognize and thank the campus community for their engagement and support of the IS-3 Program. Current and upcoming highlights:

• FY 2023-24: Our security teams are working with 24 units this fall as part of the IS-3 Program

  • 14 units are doing their initial IS-3 onboarding; 10 units are working on their first review. This spring, the final 14 campus academic and administrative units will complete their initial onboarding. Please see the IS-3 Onboarding Schedule for timing details, including a projected schedule through Fall 2025. 

  • The Information Security Office is also working on the first, IS-3 Annual Theme for units. These themes will each focus on a key risk area relating to IS-3 and will provide information and actual tools, such as services or templates, to help units make progress in the focus area. Over time, we envision having a robust collection of tools and services to help units manage their information security risk.

• July 2024 will begin the IS-3 Project’s conversion to an ongoing program of regular reviews, annual themes, and enhanced metrics/reporting for units and Leadership. Units can expect to review their information in Socreg annually and to update their IS-3 self-assessment every 2-5 years (depending on the risk level of the unit). ISO will reach out to units with details and program support as each annual review period approaches.

The draft MSSEI update has completed an internal review with the Information Security Office and Berkeley IT, and just wrapped up an early round of campus review with the One IT community, Unit Information Security Leads, and CISPC. After incorporating feedback from this early review, we will begin engaging more broadly with key stakeholder groups across campus.

We welcome any and all feedback on the proposed update - please help us identify any potential issues or concerns. We also welcome feedback on the prioritization of the requirements and the exception process, both included in the draft. Please use this feedback form (you can even be anonymous) or email iso@berkeley.edu.

Finally, let us know how we can engage with you, and any recommendations you may have for groups we should reach out to during key stakeholder review. Thank you!

Full Draft | Commented Draft | Roadshow Slides 

• Information Security Policy and bIT Policy are partnering to develop a consolidated Acceptable Use Policy for UC Berkeley IT Resources. The goal is to combine all of the various IT-related Acceptable Use Policies on campus into a single document so everything is in one place.

The NAT Policy and Guidelines have been retired and replaced by updated User Network Device Standards and Terms of Service. If you have documentation that references the old policy or guidelines, please update it to point to the new page. Many thanks to Isaac Orr for his work on this project.

Grow Your Cyber Skills with Professional Development

• Cybersecurity Boot Camp in the San Francisco Bay Area at Berkeley extension
• Free SANS Community Events
• Become a Cybersecurity Professional Learning Path on LinkedIn Learning

Plus many other cybersecurity-related courses via LinkedIn Learning. As a reminder, all UC employees have free access to content on all kinds of topics for professional and personal development.

• Questions about or to report a security incident: security@berkeley.edu
• General office inquiries: iso@berkeley.edu
• Contact individual ISO team members: See Staff Listing
• Visit the Information Security website: security.berkeley.edu