OFFICES OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER,
UC SAN DIEGO AND UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH
June 30, 2021
ALL ACADEMICS AND STAFF AT UC SAN DIEGO (including UC San Diego Health)
Cybersecurity Notification: Ransomware Threat at UC San Diego
UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health are active targets for ransomware attacks due to our highly visible research activities and clinical care. Research involving COVID-19, marine sciences or environments supporting patient care are being targeted by hackers such as those who recently profited from ransomware attacks at UC San Francisco and the Colonial Pipeline.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users’ access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. Attempted ransomware attacks are a regular occurrence at every UC campus, including UC San Diego. Our own network defenses detect dozens of attempted ransomware attacks daily directed at campus and health system computers.
Sometimes the attacks are successful, with expensive and debilitating consequences. Most recently UC San Francisco was forced to pay $1.14 million to recover the research data of dozens of academic employees.
Ransomware Resources and Preventive Measures
Information about ransomware and recommendations on protecting your systems and research data can be found at ransomware.ucsd.edu. In addition to familiarizing yourself with the information, please:
Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with all remote access devices, including remote desktop services and a Secure Shell (SSH). Services that can’t use MFA can be placed behind the campus VPN to achieve this.
Install the campus provided anti-malware software. Campus researchers can obtain installers from http://secure.assure.ucsd.edu. Health System faculty and researchers can obtain them here. Staff should contact their local IT support who can obtain custom installers from http://antivirus.ucsd.edu.
Ransomware is no longer a rare event that happens somewhere else, but is the largest singular cyberthreat to our academic and research mission. Again, please review the information at ransomware.ucsd.edu or take advantage of some of the many support options available:
