With email being a mainstay of communication at UCR, malicious actors often utilize it in an attempt to steal personal or private information. Phishing (pronounced ‘fishing’) is one of the most common attack methods used by cybercriminals today. In fact, over 91 percent of cyber-attacks start with a phishing email, and three out of four organizations have experienced phishing attacks.

Phishing emails are crafted to look legitimate but contain malicious programming or content used to capture sensitive data, which can put you and our campus at risk. In an effort to educate our campus community, as well as measure how well UCR responds to phishing attempts, Information Technology Solutions (ITS) is launching a phishing email simulation campaign that will run from February to June, 2020.

During the campaign, five separate emails will be sent to UCR faculty, staff, and students (@ucr.edu addresses) that will closely mimic email phishing scams. If you believe you have identified one of these phishing simulation emails, you should forward it immediately to abuse@ucr.edu. 

To learn more about the upcoming phishing simulation campaign and for tips on how to spot phishing emails, please visit the ITS blog. Thank you in advance for your participation. Together we can ensure that our information remains safe and secure!