News for and about the Internet2 community

["Lauren Rotman" <>]

Computer Security Incidents-Internet2 Working Group Holds Community Workshop
in Support of Department of Justice Grant 

Grant awarded to support the Internet2 community's work on network security
issues

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - March 5, 2007 - This week, the Internet2 Computer
Security Incidents-Internet2 Working Group (CSI2) hosts its first workshop
in support of a grant awarded by the Office of Justice Programs of the
Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate the development of new
methodologies and technologies that can better anticipate and resolve
network security issues affecting high-performance backbone networks, campus
networks, and individual computers. 

To date, no formal communication mechanisms have been developed to allow
network providers with common interests but perhaps no business relationship
to work collaboratively to solve security problems together. Leveraging
important technologies developed within the Internet2 community, like those
in middleware, the CSI2 hopes to create a formal platform that will enable
secure and standardized methods for sharing and storing preventative network
security information to limit the scope of network attacks through early
detection and rapid response.  

"Proprietary business issues have been a major hurdle in creating standard
security practices. But just as our nation's physical assets have response
protocols in the event of an attack, our nation's information networks need
to have similar protocols that are common and consistent across
organizational boundaries in order to prevent a security attack from
becoming a major security incident," said Christopher Misra, network analyst
at the University of Massachusetts and chair of the CSI2 Working Group.
"Through this grant, the CSI2 hopes to extend its ongoing work to create a
framework that will set the standard for inter-institutional security
collaboration to reduce national network vulnerabilities and minimize damage
from potential cyber-attacks."

The initial DOJ funding will bring together several noted security experts
who will lead workshops, like the one held this week, and other information
gathering sessions to understand the research and education community's
unique security requirements, which are not easily accommodated in current
approaches to network security. In doing so, the group will focus efforts on
initial improvements in: the identification of security incidents within and
between networks; the creation of an inventory of existing security tools
and their data output; existing communication practices between different
locations; and the retention, anonymization, and policy boundaries related
to current security data practices. 

As a result, the working group envisions the development of several
technologies, including: a repository for security data, tools and
diagnostics so that institutions will be better equipped to solve problems
as they occur; protocols and practices for authenticated real-time
communications during security events to provide ongoing support for network
personnel; identification of benchmark security preparation strategy and
tactics; and the creation of a standardized secure platform for event
notification and information sharing to help avert widespread cybersecurity
disasters.

"We believe the important work being pioneered by our community through this
grant will help enhance scientific, academic, and research collaborations
that have to date been hindered by campus-specific security restrictions,"
said Misra. "Eventually, we hope this work will serve as a model for
commercial Internet providers, government agencies, and major businesses who
also face major security challenges on a day to day basis."

The DOJ grant was facilitated through Internet2's government relations
program which seeks to create an open forum for dialogue and development
between the education technology community and the federal government to
encourage new innovation and collaboration. Internet2 supports members'
research partnerships and grants by identifying funding opportunities,
providing consultation on member proposals to government funding agencies;
and writing letters of support which illustrate the advances in network
research that Internet2 member projects are likely to achieve. Over the past
three years, Internet2's overall inventory of externally funded research
activity has grown in size from 4 to 22 funded proposals. This has been
accomplished despite growing challenges in the federal research funding
arena. 

The CSI2 Workshop is being held in Cambridge, Mass on March 5-6, 2007. 
For more information, visit:  http://security.internet2.edu/csi2/ 

About Internet2(R)
Internet2 is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Led by the
research and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes the missions
of its members by providing both leading-edge network capabilities and
unique partnership opportunities that together facilitate the development,
deployment and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. Internet2 brings
the U.S. research and academic community together with technology leaders
from industry, government and the international community to undertake
collaborative efforts that have a fundamental impact on tomorrow's Internet.

For more information: http://www.internet2.edu

Media contact:
Lauren Rotman

202.331.5345



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