INDEX

• Researchers: Beware Netwalker attacks
• Celebration and concern on LGBTQ+ issues
• Blood banks collect 168 pints on campus

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UC Davis is advising researchers to double-check some of their security settings in the wake of ransomware attacks at UC San Francisco and two other universities.

UC Davis has not been harmed, but the threat to faculty research and other vital work is real. The Netwalker attacks seek to collect ransomware payments as well as valuable intellectual property, such as research on a cure for COVID-19, according to Bloomberg media in one of several reports about the incidents.

The risk involves on-campus computers or workstations that permit access from off-campus locations, typically with remote access tools, such as RDP (Windows Remote Desktop Protocol). UC Davis researchers, who are likeliest to use machines that fit this description, have been emailed a letter with more information and advice to:

• Make sure access to the machine is protected by Duo multifactor authentication. 
• Access the machine only through a campus virtual private network, or VPN.

If you have questions or think this situation might apply to you, check with your department’s technology support group.

For all of us, the attacks are another reminder to practice the basic good habits of information security — especially during the pandemic, when most faculty and staff are working from off campus: 

• Use multifactor authentication to protect your campus accounts. 
• Always use current software, and keep it updated.
• Use the campus VPN, or another reputable VPN, when connecting to sensitive UC Davis resources while away from campus.

— TechNews

LGBTQ+ celebration and concern

UC Davis Health on Monday (June 15) celebrated a Supreme Court victory for the LGBTQ+ community, while at the same time expressing concern over a potential problem surrounding the delivery of health care to the transgender and nonbinary communities.

The high court decision, affirming that civil rights law protects members of the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination in employment, came three days after the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it had finalized a rule to eliminate an Obama-era regulation prohibiting discrimination in health care for transgendered people. The rule is set to go into effect in mid-August.

A health system statement reads, in part: “We stand ready to provide additional support should those changes compromise care for communities in our region. This is part of our deep commitment to the health needs of LGBTQ+ communities and has long been a part of who we are and what we do.” 

The health system cited its “long-standing commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality and equitable care that honors each patient as an individual and meets their unique care needs.”

Read the complete statement.

Blood collection: 168 pints

Two blood banks collected a total of 168 pints of blood in drives held in The Pavilion over four days in May. Vitalant reported collecting 83 pints May 21-22, while the American Red Cross collected 85 pints May 28-29.

Vitalant normally holds blood banks at regular intervals throughout the year, inviting staff, faculty and students to visit bloodmobiles alongside the Quad. But the pandemic and suspended campus operations brought an end to that.

Other blood drives across the country were also canceled as people heeded advice to avoid large gatherings. As the nation’s blood supply ran low, the government advised: It’s OK to leave your house to give blood, and blood banks established safety protocols.

Vitalant and Red Cross protocols include collection stations at least 6 feet apart from one another; donors required to wear masks; and appointments required, so as to limit the number of people on-site at any given time.

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