Every year during the month of October, the PrISM team hosts a month-long series of virtual and in-person events to celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the Privacy Matters @ UBC Symposium. These sessions are designed to empower you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of online privacy and information security.
Join our virtual Cybersecurity Awareness Month events!
Throughout October, join us for a dynamic lineup of virtual sessions exploring the evolving cybersecurity landscape at UBC and beyond. From behind-the-scenes stories to global insights, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is packed with expert panels, interactive workshops, and real-world strategies.
All sessions are virtual over Zoom.
Oct 1, 2026 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Agentic Coding Tools in Higher Education: Solving Problems or Creating More Headaches
Agentic AI coding tools are rapidly becoming embedded in everyday practice in higher education. This session asks the question the adoption conversation often skips: are we solving problems or quietly creating new ones? Taylor Bohn and Luc Letarte explore data exposure risks, security and governance concerns, over-reliance and cognitive debt, and what a structured, governed, and ethically grounded approach to AI adoption actually looks like in a university context
Oct 6, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
We Are the Data: Human Rights, Digital Lives, and the Real Cost of Free
How much do you really know about the data being collected about you every day — and does it actually matter? In this session, UBC Professor and author Dr. Wendy H. Wong joins us to explore how the explosion of data collection is reshaping our lives in ways most of us have not fully reckoned with, and why the decisions being made about our data affect our autonomy, dignity, and rights as individuals. Drawing on her award-winning book We, the Data, Dr. Wong will help us think differently about what our data really is, who it belongs to, and what we can do to be more than just passive sources of information in a world that increasingly runs on it.
Oct 8, 2026 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Ghosts in the Machine: Tracking Unseen Access Risks in "Local" Software
You might assume your data is only at risk when you deliberately send it somewhere. But what about the software already running quietly in the background — the browser extension you installed last year, the AI assistant embedded in your workflow, the app that asked for more permissions than it probably needed? Join Scott Baker as he takes a close look at the hidden access risks inside tools that feel local, personal, and safe, and explains why the line between a tool that lives on your device and one that reaches far beyond it is blurrier than most people realize.
Oct 14, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Click Happens: Turning Real Phish into Teachable Moments
Phishing attacks work not because people are careless, but because attackers are skilled. They know how to manufacture urgency, exploit trust, and craft messages designed to get even careful, attentive people to click. In this session, UBC's Cybersecurity Incident Response team goes inside the attack — walking through real phishing emails that have targeted UBC, explaining exactly why they were designed the way they were, and showing what the defence looks like from the other side. Interactive, fast-moving, and genuinely eye-opening.
Join us in person for UBC’s flagship privacy and cybersecurity event of the year! The Privacy Matters @ UBC Symposium brings together IT professionals, faculty, staff, and guest experts to explore today’s most pressing topics. Whether you're a tech leader, researcher, or privacy champion, the Symposium offers fresh insights, networking opportunities, and inspiring ideas to help you protect what matters most.
The 2026 Symposium is now sold out. Thank you for the incredible response. If you would still like to attend in person, you can add your name to the waiting list. We will reach out if a spot opens up.
WHERE: Ponderosa Commons Ballroom & Livestream
WHEN: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
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The 2026 Symposium is now sold out. Thank you for the incredible response. If you would still like to attend in person, you can add your name to the waiting list. We will reach out if a spot opens up.
Think you've got what it takes?
The 1st Annual Privacy Matters @ UBC Capture the Flag Competition runs October 1–23, open to all UBC staff, faculty, and students — no technical experience required. Work through a series of progressively challenging cybersecurity puzzles, compete for your spot on the leaderboard, and take a shot at $500 in prizes.