Fostering a Culture of Digital Safety Through Education
Quick Summary
- The Information Security Office (ISO) fosters campus-wide digital safety through year-round outreach and targeted seasonal initiatives.
- The ISO helps the campus community recognize emerging and sophisticated risks, including AI deepfakes, phishing, direct deposit fraud, holiday and romance scams, and Zoom disruption.
- By emphasizing daily protective habits, encouraging staff and students to use strong passphrases, Duo Multifactor Authentication (MFA), regular software updates, and active phishing reporting, the ISO encourages proactive digital hygiene.
Providing UC Davis students, faculty and staff with comprehensive education about the ever-evolving landscape of digital threats is a key focus for Information and Educational Technology’s Information Security Office (ISO). They foster a culture of digital safety throughout the academic year with a combination of seasonal awareness campaigns, targeted cybersecurity threat guidance, and actionable digital hygiene best practices.
Year-Round Awareness and Seasonal Campaigns
Education efforts are strategically timed throughout the academic year to address specific risks.
- Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October): Provides tips, information, and interactive knowledge tests to the campus community. The focus is on making digital safety a "daily mindset".
- Data Privacy Week (January): Empowers individuals to manage their digital footprints and adjust privacy settings on apps and social media.
- Digital Spring Cleaning (May): Encourages students, faculty and staff to "tidy up" their digital spaces by fortifying passwords, removing unused files, and clearing out cyber clutter.
Targeted Guidance on Modern Threats
The ISO educates the community on specific, sophisticated scams that target higher education institutions, including:
- Phishing and AI Scams: The Aggies’ Guide to Phishing provides comprehensive details on spotting AI-driven scams, such as realistic voice mimicry and deepfakes used to impersonate trusted colleagues or family members.
- Financial Fraud: Specific education is provided to prevent direct deposit scams, where fraudsters use malicious search ads and fake UCPath portals to reroute paychecks.
- Holiday Hacks: During the winter season, holiday scams often target charitable giving, gift shopping, and package-deliveries. During Valentine’s season, they offer advice on how to avoid romance scams that target those looking for love.
- Virtual Attacks: As many continue to connect via Zoom and other video conferencing platforms, the ISO provides detailed instructions on securing Zoom meetings against unwanted and disruptive/malicious attendees.
Digital Hygiene Best Practices
Central to the ISO’s education effort is the promotion of digital hygiene—daily habits that prevent long-term digital damage. Top tips include:
- Strong Passwords: Creating unique, random passwords or passphrases of at least 15–16 characters.
- Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Utilizing Duo to add a layer of protection even if a password is stolen.
- Software Updates: Installing updates promptly to patch security vulnerabilities.
- Phishing Awareness: Learning to identify and report suspicious messages.
By maintaining a consistent stream of information and encouraging the reporting of suspicious activity to [email protected], UC Davis continues to build a safer, more resilient digital community.