National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026
Friday, October 16, 2026, 8:49pmTO: Campus Community
FR: Thomas Dixon, Chief Information Security Officer, San Francisco Bay Region Network
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an opportunity to highlight common cybersecurity threats and share practical steps we can all take to protect ourselves and our campus community.
One of the most common cybersecurity threats continues to be phishing. We receive emails every day from people and organizations we trust, as well as from attackers attempting to impersonate those trusted sources.
Phishing occurs when a cybercriminal impersonates a legitimate person or organization to trick someone into revealing sensitive information, clicking malicious links, or taking other actions that could compromise their accounts or devices.
While phishing attempts have become increasingly sophisticated, there are still warning signs that can help you identify suspicious messages.
Here are just a few of the possible signs of a phishing email:
- An email that begins with "Dear Customer" or has numerous spelling or grammar mistakes.
- An unexpected email asking you to click a link, open an attachment, or provide personal or sensitive information.
- An email that appears to be from someone you know, but the tone of voice or email signature seems odd.
- An email offering something that seems too good to be true or uses an unusual message to entice you into clicking a link or opening an attachment.
- An email that uses a high level of urgency, fear, or demands that you take immediate action.
- An email requesting additional information, including confirming your password, banking information, or credit card details.
- An email directing you to a website that asks you to grant unexpected permissions or access to your account or computer.
- An email pressuring you to bypass or ignore security policies and procedures.
If you receive an email that you suspect may be phishing, please report it to the Information Security Office by submitting a Security Reporting ticket or forwarding the email to support@sfbrn.calstate.edu. We can help determine whether the message is legitimate and take appropriate steps to protect other members of the campus community. If you're unsure about a message, contact us before clicking any links or opening attachments.
The CSU encourages everyone to learn more about cybersecurity. The following webinars on cybersecurity are available today:
Friday, 10/16 from 9:40 - 11:40 a.m.: Dr. Gofman from CSU Fullerton on the State of AI & Impacts on Cybersecurity
Friday, 10/16 from 11 a.m. - noon: Vulnerability Management: Understanding and Reducing Cyber Risk
More information about these and other presentations can be found at Cybersecurity Awareness 2026 Events | CSU.
Sincerely,
Thomas Dixon
Chief Information Security Officer and Data Privacy Officer
Information Technology
San Francisco Bay Region Network
CSUEB | SFSU | SSU