UP Cebu Information Technology Center

11/07/2025

Dear UP User,

Please be reminded of these pointers on protecting yourself from cyber attacks.

Update your operating systems (OS) and browsers in your devices to help keep them more secure.

Never open or click email attachments from unknown and suspicious senders, as these might contain malware that may affect your devices.

Never click on links from unknown senders via email, SMS/text, chat messages, and other platforms.

Use strong and unique passwords for all your online accounts (emails, social media, apps, etc.).

Avoid using public unsecured WiFi, as this might make your devices open to cyber attacks.

Use anti-virus software to help protect your devices further.

If you need any assistance on the security of your UP email accounts and office-issued devices, please get in touch with the local IT Offices of your CU/campus. Their contact details are listed at bit.ly/UP-CU-IT-Offices

For your guidance and information.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
University of the Philippines System

27/06/2025

To UP Users:

Similar to the use of Google Drive, we remind all users of Google Spaces (group chats) to exercise extreme caution in the use of our Google Spaces in the University's Google Workspace domain.

Please be reminded that you should NOT set the privacy access of Google Spaces to “University of the Philippines”, as this will open the Space for any user in the UP Google Workspace to find, view, and join your space.

Google Spaces should be set to “Private” to ensure that it is restricted only to those who you invite or add.

You can see the steps on adjusting the Google Space settings here:

https://itdc.up.edu.ph/faqs/privacy-settings-of-up-google-spaces

If you have any questions or need assistance regarding your Google Spaces, please send the request and file a support ticket at the UP System ICT Support: https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
University of the Philippines System

20/06/2025

To UP Users,

We strongly remind and encourage all users to review the passwords they are using, especially for their UP Mail accounts.

Below are some pointers and recommendations to guide you on how you should create and use your passwords.

1. Minimum of sixteen (16) random characters (letters, numbers, and symbols) or four (4) random, non-common words for passwords.

2. Minimum of six (6) Alphanumeric characters in a passcode for your mobile phone or tablet. Avoid using numeric passcodes with 4-6 digits.

3. Enable Multi-factor Authentication (MFA). Avoid using SMS-based MFA whenever possible. Users are encouraged to download, install, and use an authenticator application, such as the Google Authenticator mobile app. This will allow you to perform the 2-step-verification when you sign in to your UP Mail account (.edu.ph). Using Passkey and/or hardware-based MFA (e.g. Yubikeys) is also recommended.

To use 2-Step-Verification in your UP Mail, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185839

To use Google Authenticator, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1066447

To enable and sign in your UP Mail using a Passkey, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/13548313

To enable and use hardware-based MFA via security keys, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6103523

4. Do not reuse your passwords. Each of your accounts must have a unique, different password.

5. It is advisable to use a password manager software, such as Bitwarden, 1Password, ProtonPass, and iCloud Keychain Password.

6. Regularly check https://haveibeenpwned.com to ensure that your accounts are not in the database of compromised email and passwords. “https://haveibeenpwned.com” is a reliable website that allows you to search their database to check if your email address has been compromised.

For UP Mail, please make sure that you have a recovery email set to allow you to use self-service password reset: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/183723

You can change your UP Mail password by following the steps found in this link: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/41078

If you need further assistance, please contact the local IT office of your campus/constituent university (CU). You can find their contact information here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us -it-support

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
University of the Philippines System

21/05/2025

Dear UP Users,

Be reminded regarding the folders/files that you upload and share in the University’s Google Workspace.

We strongly recommend that you set the access permissions of your folders/files and share it only with your concerned colleagues, students, or class instructors (i.e. specific users only). Kindly DO NOT share them to ALL users utilizing the University’s Google Workspace.

Specifically, please DO NOT choose the option "University of the Philippines" nor “Anyone with the link” when selecting who can access your files. These options will open up your files to be accessible to other users that you did not intend. Said files may also appear in search results of other users.

To limit the access of your files/folders to specific people/users only, you may follow the steps found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/faqs/how-to-share-files-in-google-drive

Moreover, kindly be reminded that as a user of the University's online resources, you are constrained to comply with the UP Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Section 6, item C, number ii, number 4 states:

“ Personal use. Users may not use the IT System for personal activities not related to appropriate University functions except in a purely incidental manner.”

You may refer to the UP Acceptable Use Policy here:

https://up.edu.ph/approved-acceptable-use-policy-for-information-technology-it-resources-of-the-up-system/

Please ensure that files that are personal in nature and are not related to the academics, administrative work, or research under the University are not uploaded in our University’s Google Workspace.

Should you need further assistance or have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to reach out to the local IT Office of your campus/CU. You can find their contact details here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us -it-support

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
Office of the Vice President for Digital Transformation (OVPDx)
University of the Philippines System

05/05/2025

Dear UP User,

Please be reminded of fraudulent phishing emails that may be culprits masquerading as officials in our organization, asking for donations or personal/sensitive information.

Below are some pointers on how to recognize and identify potential phishing emails and scams:

1. Phishing emails may use a generic greeting/salutation. They might state “Dear Customer” or “Dear Valued Member,” or some other unfamiliar salutation.

2. Phishing emails may contain suspicious attachments. They might have files that have unfamiliar names or extensions, such as .ZIP, .RAR, .SCR, TAR.GZ, etc. These types of files are commonly associated with harmful software such as malware. DO NOT click or open these files/attachments.

3. Phishing emails may ask for your personal or sensitive information. They may request you to send information such as full names, contact numbers, addresses, financial information, etc. DO NOT provide your information to suspicious emails or messages.

4. Phishing emails may ask for donations or financial assistance. Culprits may pretend to be important people in your organization (e.g. officials or upper management), or family members, and ask for any form of financial or monetary support (donations, solicitations, etc.). DO NOT send money to suspicious senders; always verify first with other people and sources.

5. Phishing emails may have links and email addresses that are fake. Culprits may try to trick recipients by including names of legitimate organizations/companies and websites or links. However, these fake links may direct you to harmful or malicious websites or allow the culprit to access your information. If you receive a suspicious email that might be a scam, DO NOT click on any of the links.

6. Phishing emails may have alarming or “urgent” titles/subject names. They may state words like “urgent,” “account at risk,” “immediate attention,” etc. The culprit’s goal is to make the reader panic and react to the fraudulent alarming message. Make sure to double check if you receive such emails.

7. Phishing emails may say that you received rewards or won a contest. They may tell you that you won a contest or prize, and you have to click a link or log in somewhere to claim your rewards. However, the culprit’s goal is to make you enter your account information or give your personal/sensitive information. DO NOT click or log in to links sent by suspicious messages, especially if you did not join any kind of contest at all.

8. Phishing emails may have obvious grammar and spelling errors. If it is in English, it may have numerous obvious mistakes in grammar and spelling as it may have been hastily written and released by the culprit.

You may report suspicious emails and senders to the UP System ICT Support at https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
Office of the Vice President for Digital Transformation (OVPDx)
University of the Philippines System

24/04/2025

Similar to the use of Google Drive, we remind all users of Google Groups to exercise EXTREME CAUTION (caps for emphasis) in the use of our Google Groups in the University's Google Workspace domain.

Google’s Terms of Service can be accessed here: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en and the specific terms on sharing of contents are found here: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en -content

Those who are Owners and Managers of Google Groups must take note of the permission settings of their groups such as the following:

Who can view conversations

Who can post

Who can view members

And more.

Please be reminded that Owners and Managers should not set the privacy/permissions/access settings to “Entire organization” or “Anyone on the web” as this may open the Google Group to outsiders.

Managers and Owners can read more information and steps about these settings here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/faqs/google-groups-settings

If more assistance is needed regarding the management of UP Google Groups, please send the request and file a support ticket at the UP System ICT Support: https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
Office of the Vice President for Digital Transformation (OVPDx)
University of the Philippines System

10/04/2025

Reminders on Using Google Groups

Similar to the use of Google Drive, we remind all users of Google Groups to exercise EXTREME CAUTION (caps for emphasis) in the use of our Google Groups in the University's Google Workspace domain.

Google’s Terms of Service can be accessed here: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en and the specific terms on sharing of contents are found here: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en -content

Those who are Owners and Managers of Google Groups must take note of the permission settings of their groups such as the following:

Who can view conversations

Who can post

Who can view members

And more.

Please be reminded that Owners and Managers should not set the privacy/permissions/access settings to “Entire organization” or “Anyone on the web” as this may open the Google Group to outsiders.

Managers and Owners can read more information and steps about these settings here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/faqs/google-groups-settings

If more assistance is needed regarding the management of UP Google Groups, please send the request and file a support ticket at the UP System ICT Support: https://ictsupport.up.edu.ph/

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
University of the Philippines System

These Terms of Service reflect the way Google’s business works, the laws that apply to our company, and certain things we’ve always believed to be true. As a result, these Terms of Service help define Google’s relationship with you as you interact with our services. For example, these terms in...

07/04/2025

Dear UP Mail Users:

PLEASE TAKE THIS ADVISORY SERIOUSLY (all caps for emphasis).

There have been recent reports of emails and passwords being COMPROMISED and MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.

Please visit this site NOW: https://haveibeenpwned.com and check if any of your email accounts have been compromised. “https://haveibeenpwned.com” is a reliable website that allows you to search their database to verify if your email address has been compromised.

If any of your email accounts, i.e. UP Mail (.edu.ph) and UP Microsoft 365/Outlook (.up.edu.ph) have been affected, we strongly advise that you change your passwords for the affected accounts immediately, as well as passwords for all other online services that are connected to it. We also highly encourage you to enable Multi-Factor Authentication for all your email accounts.

Should you need further information with regards to security, please contact the local IT Center/Office of your campus/CU. The list of CU IT Centers/Offices is found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us -it-support

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
University of the Philippines System

04/04/2025

Dear UP User,

Please be reminded of these pointers on protecting yourself from cyber attacks.

Update your operating systems (OS) and browsers in your devices to help keep them more secure.

Never open or click email attachments from unknown and suspicious senders, as these might contain malware that may affect your devices.

Never click on links from unknown senders via email, SMS/text, chat messages, and other platforms.

Use strong and unique passwords for all your online accounts (emails, social media, apps, etc.).

Avoid using public unsecured WiFi, as this might make your devices open to cyber attacks.

Use anti-virus software to help protect your devices further.

If you need any assistance on the security of your UP email accounts and office-issued devices, please get in touch with the local IT Offices of your CU/campus. Their contact details are listed at https://bit.ly/UP-CU-IT-Offices

For your guidance and information.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
University of the Philippines System

17/03/2025

Dear UP Users,

Please be reminded regarding the folders/files that you upload and share in the University’s Google Workspace.

We strongly recommend that you set the access permissions of your folders/files and share it only with your concerned colleagues, students, or class instructors (i.e. specific users only). Kindly DO NOT share them to ALL users utilizing the University’s Google Workspace.

Specifically, please DO NOT choose the option "University of the Philippines" nor “Anyone with the link” when selecting who can access your files. These options will open up your files to be accessible to other users that you did not intend.

To limit the access of your files/folders to specific people/users only, you may follow the steps found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/faqs/how-to-share-files-in-google-drive

Moreover, kindly be reminded that as a user of the University's online resources, you are constrained to comply with the UP Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Section 6, item C, number ii, number 4 states:

“ Personal use. Users may not use the IT System for personal activities not related to appropriate University functions except in a purely incidental manner.”

You may refer to the UP Acceptable Use Policy here: https://www.up.edu.ph/aup

Please ensure that files that are personal in nature and are not related to the academics, administrative work, or research under the University are not uploaded in our University’s Google Workspace.

Should you need further assistance or have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to reach out to the local IT Office of your campus/CU. You can find their contact details here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us -it-support

For your information and guidance.

Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)
University of the Philippines System

27/02/2025

Dear UP Mail Users:

Please be aware of recent incidents of emails and passwords being compromised and made available publicly.

We advise you to visit https://haveibeenpwned.com and check if any of your email accounts have been compromised. “https://haveibeenpwned.com” is a reliable website that allows you to search their database to verify if your email address has been compromised.

If any of your email accounts, i.e. UP Mail (.edu.ph) and UP Microsoft 365/Outlook (.up.edu.ph) have been affected, we strongly advise that you change your passwords for the affected accounts immediately, as well as passwords for all other online services that are connected to it. We also highly encourage you to enable Multi-Factor Authentication for all your email accounts.

Should you need further information with regards to security, please contact the local IT Center/Office of your campus/CU. The list of CU IT Centers/Offices is found here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us -it-support

For your information and guidance.

12/02/2025

To UP Users,

We strongly remind and encourage all users to review the passwords they are using, especially for their UP Mail accounts.

Below are some pointers and recommendations to guide you on how you should create and use your passwords.

1. Minimum of sixteen (16) random characters (letters, numbers, and symbols) or four (4) random, non-common words for passwords.

2. Minimum of six (6) Alphanumeric characters in a passcode for your mobile phone or tablet. Avoid using numeric passcodes with 4-6 digits.

3. Enable Multi-factor Authentication (MFA). Avoid using SMS-based MFA whenever possible. Users are encouraged to download, install, and use an authenticator application, such as the Google Authenticator mobile app. This will allow you to perform the 2-step-verification when you sign in to your UP Mail account (.edu.ph). Using Passkey and/or hardware-based MFA (e.g. Yubikeys) is also recommended.

To use 2-Step-Verification in your UP Mail, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185839

To use Google Authenticator, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1066447

To enable and sign in your UP Mail using a Passkey, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/13548313

To enable and use hardware-based MFA via security keys, see the steps at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6103523

4. Do not reuse your passwords. Each of your accounts must have a unique, different password.

5. It is advisable to use a password manager software, such as Bitwarden, 1Password, ProtonPass, and iCloud Keychain Password.

6. Regularly check https://haveibeenpwned.com to ensure that your accounts are not in the database of compromised email and passwords. “https://haveibeenpwned.com” is a reliable website that allows you to search their database to check if your email address has been compromised.

For UP Mail, please make sure that you have a recovery email set to allow you to use self-service password reset: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/183723

You can change your UP Mail password by following the steps found in this link: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/41078

If you need further assistance, please contact the local IT office of your campus/constituent university (CU). You can find their contact information here: https://itdc.up.edu.ph/contact-us -it-support

For your information and guidance.

UP Information Technology Development Center (ITDC)