ANR Update

Duo login screen change coming April 7

Dear ANR Community,

Duo, UC ANR's multi-factor authentication app, is updating its login screen on April 7, 2024. UC Davis made this same Duo prompt change late last year.

What is changing?
• The new Duo login prompt starting Sunday, April 7, 2024.
• There is no action required on your part as this change will happen automatically. The Duo app does not require an update.

As a security protection, IT is reminding you to approve only login attempts that you have initiated and reject authentication requests that you are not expecting.

The Duo login prompt will change from this:

To this:

If needed, the "Other options" link allows you to choose other options as needed (e.g., using a texted code or a bypass code).

Depending on which option you chose, Duo may ask if the device you just used to authenticate is yours. Only click "Yes, this is my device" if the device is not shared with others. Clicking yes will prevent Duo from asking again on your device for 14 days.

Jaki Hsieh Wojan
Chief Information Security Officer

Text scam impersonates ANR colleague

A text phishing (smishing) scam has been hitting ANR employees' phones. This scammer attempts to impersonate Greg Gibbs, ANR's Executive Director of Development Services. The texts originate from a 530 number and at first appear legitimate.

I am sharing Ethan Ireland's experience and thought process. Thank you, Ethan. 

Ethan received this text:

From (530) 646-XXXX

Hello Ethan, Let me know if you get
my text and if you are in office.
Greg Gibbs
Executive Director, Development Services
UCANR

Ethan told me, “I was initially taken off-guard and revealed some information I regret having revealed: I confirmed *who* I am, what my schedule is. However, I have gotten cold calls and texts from my colleagues who often have a (530) area code.

The first clue that made me suspicious is the syntax and grammar of the 'Ok sounds great' text, particularly the line '…you are to keep this confidential till the surprise will be done.' This put my back up, because I've gotten a lot of scam SMSes over the years, and they typically have mangled grammar and syntax. However, since there are some folks in the ANR team for whom English is a second language, I simply regarded this as a 'red flag' that would make me want to proceed with caution & get extra verification.

I thought I would keep them talking, and sure enough, their next message was asking me to get Apple gift cards, which I know is a common scammer tactic to get someone to get money to them in a way that is unrecoverable for the sender. I stated my concerns and brought up Greg Gibbs' page on the ANR directory. They responded with outrage — but I know emotional manipulation is a key part of social engineering, especially when impersonating someone higher up in hierarchy. By this point, I was about 95% sure it was a scam.

Ethan then tried to call Greg directly on his ANR phone and left a voicemail. Once he started pushing on verification, the scammer went silent.

This just one of manysmishing messages that went out recently. Great job to Ethan and many others who spotted this as a scam!

If you receive an unexpected text, verify its authenticity before providing information or taking action. If you receive a smishing messages purportedly from an ANR employee, report the message to ANR IT at help@ucanr.edu.

For more information on smishing and other social engineering methods, visit https://it.ucanr.edu/Security/Social_Engineering.

Jaki Hsieh Wojan
Chief Information Security Officer 

Update on Aggie Enterprise Oracle Financial System rollout

Dear Colleagues,

Within our new financial system, the new Chart of Accounts accounting structure and Oracle software are vastly different from our old structure and systems. During the transition and adjustment period, the Aggie Enterprise team is actively managing resolutions to issues. I have heard from many business users and ANR staff members that these issues can be stressful and frustrating, and I am grateful for everyone's patience and the collaborative efforts of our teams as they continue working through the transition. I'd like to thank each of you for your efforts to learn the new accounting structure and adapt to business processes within the new financial system, on top of your regular duties. There are considerable changes to our business processes to comply with UCOP requirements, and we will overcome these challenges with time.  

Ongoing support

The UC ANR Aggie Enterprise support team members have been working diligently with business managers and fiscal officers to support, train and resolve issues for all our units during the transition. The team hosts office hours 1 to 3p.m. Monday through Thursday (through March 28), and holds weekly team meetings to discuss challenges, share knowledge and collaborate on solutions. 

Immediate next steps

The UC ANR Aggie Enterprise team is providing ongoing support via tailored training sessions to target audiences to support them through this adjustment phase. UC ANR Aggie Enterprise team leads are working together with business partners and managers to address and resolve these transitional issues. If you encounter challenges with transaction processes, reports or any other aspect of the new system, please work with your business manager and/or fiscal officer as they partner with UC ANR Aggie Enterprise leads and co-leads to build innovative solutions to address concerns. If you need to escalate an urgent matter, please contact our UC ANR Aggie Enterprise Project Manager Raghuvir Goradia at rjgoradia@ucanr.edu. 

Expectations over the next few months

Since this is a significant project with extensive impact, working through issues and reengineering business processes will take several months. The functional team will work throughout the coming months to identify and correct issues as they arise, and to ensure that all issues are addressed and processes set by the end of this fiscal year, June 30, 2024. 

Thank you again for your perseverance, patience and hard work. We are committed to providing you with assistance as we work to optimize our financial structure and systems.

Sincerely,

Tu Tran 
Associate Vice President, Business Operations

 

UCPath down March 8-11 for system upgrades

Starting Friday, March 8, at noon through Monday, March 11, at 6 a.m., the UCPath system will be unavailable to all UC employees and applicants as UCPath implements its system upgrades as part of a March release.

Please note that after the system is brought back online, you may need to clear your browser cache. For instructions on clearing cache, click here.

Impact: During the scheduled downtime, employees, managers, transactors and UCPath personnel will not have access to the UCPath system. 

UCPath outage begins at noon on Friday, March 8, and the planned resume time is 6 a.m. on Monday, March 11.

Wellness Reimbursement Program application period opens March 1 at 9 am

To all UC ANR employees:

Beginning March 1, 2024, the UC ANR Wellness Reimbursement Program will begin accepting applications for reimbursements of personal wellness expenses up to $75.

Administered by UC ANR Staff Assembly Council and its Wellness Committee, and also supported by Academic Assembly Council, the program reimburses UC ANR staff and academics for a variety of wellness items, including but not limited to: exercise equipment, clothing, classes, memberships, personal training, gardening supplies, and books related to health and well-being.

Note that food, medicine, supplements and pet items are not eligible for reimbursement.

To apply, fill out the Wellness Reimbursement Program application, attach appropriate receipts and email the documents to Andrea Rayray at arayray@ucanr.edu.

The application period opens at 9 a.m. on March 1, 2024. Applications submitted prior to the official starting time will not be considered and will be returned to the applicant.

Receipts dated between January 1, 2024 - March 30, 2024, will be accepted.

Applications are due no later than April 1, 2024, and must be submitted for reimbursement in the Aggie Travel system by May 1, 2024.

Applications will be reviewed on first-come, first-served basis and employees are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible.

The first reimbursements will be announced in mid-March.

For more information, visit: https://staffassembly.ucanr.edu/Subcommittees/Wellness_Committee/?story=2582.

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