CTSC Risk Assessment of NEON

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a nationwide network of ecological sensors and observation facilities sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to gather and synthesize data on the impacts of climate change, land use change, and invasive species on natural resources and biodiversity. NEON collects data from over 80 land and water based sites across the United States and standardizes this data for use by scientists.

CTSC, in collaboration with the NEON team, performed a cybersecurity risk assessment on the NEON network of sensors and data servers. The results of this assessment will be used to develop a cybersecurity plan for the NEON project. The engagement commenced in March 2015 and was completed in August 2015. CTSC personnel conducted this review using CTSC assessment methodologies designed to fit the scope and objectives of the review. CTSC personnel interacted closely with NEON personnel to perform this engagement.

The goals for the collaboration with NEON were to:

• generate a list of threats, vulnerabilities, estimates for likelihood, and impacts;
• review and prioritize these lists into risks; and
• generate a high level cybersecurity plan for NEON's Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) and CyberInfrastruture (CI).

The engagement began with a CyberCheckup to get a rough assessment of the status of NEON cybersecurity. NEON staff reviewed "Securing Commodity IT in Scientific CI Projects" to see how well the recommended controls were applied to NEON's systems. The areas reviewed included policies and procedures, host protection, network security, physical security, and monitoring and logging. The results of this quick survey led to a more detailed Risk Assessment and Security Planning effort.

The formal Risk Assessment of NEON identified issues which are being addressed through NEON policies and implementation of formal operational processes and procedures. Other issues can be addressed by utilizing software solutions such as monitoring and vulnerability scanning software.

Working closely with the NEON team, CTSC concluded the risk assessment, transferred the skill of performing future iterations of the risk assessment, and assisted the NEON team in documenting recommended cybersecurity controls that, when implemented, will mitigate the current level of risks for NEON. Considering that full operation of the NEON network is planned by 2017, an effective security strategy is critical to protecting and isolating data from external and internal threats.

Help us select dates for the 2016 NSF Cybersecurity Summit!

http://doodle.com/poll/3xq7aguvytg2vvnm

CTSC is working to identify a three day period in August 2016 for the next NSF Cybersecurity Summit. We've heard the community's feedback and are trying to secure a Tuesday-Thursday event at our preferred venue to help folks avoid weekend travel. As of today, we have three options available to us. We'll keep this poll open for one week. 

 If you anticipate trying to attend the 2016 summit, please let us know your preferences!

(Feel free to identify yourself, your project, or your favorite superhero when you vote.  One vote per individual please.)

CTSC Year 3 Report Published

CTSC's Year 3 report, covering activities from October of 2014 through September of 2015, has been accepted by NSF and is available online at http://trustedci.org/reports.

Nice incident response case study by U. Michigan

The University of Michigan has published a nice case study on an incident with their social media early this month. Publishing case studies such as this are a good way to disseminate our experiences and learn from each other.

(Image credit: http://socialmedia.umich.edu/blog/hacked/)

Gemini and CTSC Collaborate on Intensive Cybercheckup

In June 2015, as a precursor to a forthcoming full engagement, Gemini Observatory and CTSC undertook a brief, but very intensive “cybercheckup”-style engagement. Using Indiana University’s REDCap service (https://redcap.uits.iu.edu/), CTSC has developed a questionnaire designed to gather key pieces of information regarding the information security program at large-scale NSF projects and facilities. Gemini personnel completed this questionnaire, and met with the CTSC engagement team on two occasions, to discuss the cybercheckup process and provide more detailed information. In early July, CTSC delivered a report to Gemini with recommendations for the Gemini information security program, prioritized by CTSC’s estimated cost and impact in implementing the recommendations. Following the NSF Cybersecurity Summit, we will sit down in person in Arlington  to review the report. Gemini and CTSC will use these results to structure and make the most of our Fall 2015 full engagement.

"I feel very fortunate to have the resources of CTSC available to Gemini Observatory as we develop a more mature, comprehensive "v2.0" cybersecurity program. The breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that the CTSC team has contributed thus far is vast, and has been key in gaining budgetary and Directorate support for cybersecurity initiatives.” -- Tim Minick, Information Technology Services Manager, Gemini Observatory

CTSC thanks Gemini for the effort and openness required to make this kind of activity valuable.  

October 2015 WISE Workshop

Operators of scientific cyberinfrastructure (CI) and National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) will be meeting October 20-22 in Barcelona to discuss security collaboration at the WISE Workshop ("Wise Information Security for collaborating E-infrastructures"). Participants will discuss evaluating the maturity of security operations using frameworks such as ISO 27000, the Trust Framework for Security Collaboration among Infrastructures (SCI), and the CTSC Guide. Also, participants will discuss security incident handling, including the Security Incident Response Trust Framework for Federated Identity (Sirtfi). Please consider joining us at the workshop. It will be a particularly valuable opportunity for security staff supporting international scientific collaborations to interact with their European counterparts. Registration is now open. If you have any comments, including topics you would like CTSC staff to raise at the workshop, please join the CTSC discussion list or contact CTSC directly.

Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Realigns Cybersecurity Plan to CTSC’s Guide

At the 2014 Cybersecurity Summit, Don Petravick approached CTSC to assist with developing a new LSST security plan based on CTSC’s “Guide to Developing Cybersecurity Programs for NSF Science and Engineering Projects.”  With a January 2015 deadline to provide a progress report to the NSF, CTSC committed to meet with LSST on a weekly basis through the end of 2014 to help rework their security plan. The effort was extended through the end of January 2015. The LSST team carried out the planning effort, with CTSC acting in an advisory role to align the new LSST plan with the CTSC cybersecurity framework.  LSST’s provided CTSC with a first hand view of the Guide in action,and constructive feedback for future versions. At the completion of the five month engagement, LSST had a revised cybersecurity plan that included a Master Information Security Policy, Acceptable Use Policy, Incident Response Policy and a risk assessment based on the current and planned project environment.

“The project was under pressure to deliver an updated Cybersecurrity program. CTSC understood our situation and provided a contemporary framework that was straightforward and practical to apply to our environment. With their support we were able to meet the deadline with a revised modern Cybersecurity plan.” - Don Petravick, PI Dark Energy Survey Data Management, and Consultant To ISLE Project