UCSF IT Technology

We represent and serve the Office of the CIO in making strategic IT Communications infrastructure improvements and providing resources to execute on delivery of clear, timely, relevant IT-related information. We strive to empower IT organization staff, stakeholders, and customers to perform their work with clarity and purpose around its connection to UCSF's mission and community at large. 

Cybercriminals have launched phishing attacks claiming to be senior executives offering employees a Valentine’s Day-themed reward in appreciation of their work.  The message purporting to be from executives might compel users to engage with the supposed employer-related communications.  The promise of a reward or gift for the employee’s dedication to the organization entices recipients to click

The IT Portfolio Team is tasked with the accurate capture and understanding of all technology requests to ensure timely interaction with requesting departments, connect the requests to our strategic plan, and ensure requests are attributed to the appropriate portfolio category in support of prioritization and sequencing activities.

Threat Alert: Christmas-Themed Lures Steal User Credentials Cybercriminals have launched a series of phishing attacks using an allegedly upcoming Christmas party as a theme. The phishing lures contain an HTML attachment that allegedly contains details relevant to the party. Opening the attachment leads to a lookalike Microsoft Outlook login page that steals any entered credentials. Key Actions (at Work and at Home) 

Threat Alert: Deepfake Scam Targeting Financial Transactions An employee attended a video conference call with seemingly authentic colleagues, all of whom were later revealed to be deepfake representations. The worker, initially suspicious of a phishing email, was convinced by the realistic appearance and voices of the deepfake participants during the video call. Subsequently, the employee authorized a large financial transaction, thinking it was a legitimate request initiated by the CFO. 

This is your final official notice from FasTrak regarding an unpaid toll for your vehicle. You must pay the outstanding balance online within 24 hours using the link below. Failure to settle this by the due date will result in immediate fines, escalating late fees, suspension of your vehicle registration with your state’s DMV, potential vehicle impoundment, and aggressive legal action including court proceedings with substantial financial penalties and possible wage garnishment.

Google has introduced eight new top-level domains (TLDs), the equivalents of “.com”, that websites can use. Among these new TLDs are “.zip” and “.mov”.

Cybercriminals have launched a series of phishing attacks imitating a legitimate company.

Please note that this is not an all-inclusive list of all of the phishing and social engineering threats but rather ones that are typical of current threats and/or ones that impacted UCSF staff, faculty, and/or learners (must be logged in to MyAccess to view). Be diligent with all communications, and please, even if you think an email might be a phish, report it via Phish Alarm and find out almost instantly in most cases.