Last year brought great progress and success for Trusted CI, including the March release of the Trusted CI Framework Implementation Guide for Research Cyberinfrastructure Operators. At the same time we observed an increase in the risk of ransomware on the research community.
As we enter 2022, we are looking forward to building on Trusted CI’s progress and momentum to address the increasing threats to the NSF research community. We are kicking off the year with new initiatives which will provide additional support, consultation and guidance to NSF Major Facilities. Announced during the 2021 Summit, we are piloting a Framework cohort, which will accelerate Major Facility adoption of the Framework via a group engagement approach. The cohort kicks off this month with the first in the workshop series and the following facilities participating:
In addition to the Framework cohort, we are establishing the Trusted CI Major Facilities Ambassadors program. This program seeks to provide direct support to NSF Major Facilities by helping them to establish, evaluate, implement and evolve their cybersecurity programs using the Framework. Each Major Facility will have an assigned Ambassador whose role it is to develop an understanding of the facility’s activities, cybersecurity program, and unique challenges to enable them to provide tailored support and guidance.
As our 2021 engagement with Michigan State University showed, the effects of ransomware continue to impact the research community. Trusted CI is taking action to help prepare the NSF community for the threat. We are leveraging our expertise, relationships, and program activities to identify, document, and educate the NSF community about best practices for mitigating ransomware threats. We will add a page to the Trusted CI website with easy access to those best practices and resources as well as any related presentations, reports, etc.
We look forward to another successful year and welcome community member input on our priorities for 2022. If you have any questions or feedback you’d like to share, please email info@trustedci.org.
