IU-Led ResearchSOC to Help Secure Data for Geoscience Research

The Research Security Operations Center (ResearchSOC), a collaborative security response center led by Indiana University, is providing its data security and threat detection services to the Geodetic Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (GAGE). GAGE is a national facility dedicated to the study of the Earth's shape, gravity field and rotation, operated by UNAVCO, a nonprofit, university-governed consortium.

"The data that the GAGE Facility archives and shares for the scientific community are precious because they record how the Earth changes shape over time through a huge range of dynamic processes," explained Rebecca Bendick, UNAVCO president, in a statement. "Information about the past state can never be re-measured if lost, so protecting this intellectual treasure is one of our most solemn responsibilities. Partnering with ResearchSOC ensures that we are using the most advanced and best practices for data security and stability."

ResearchSOC draws on the research cybersecurity capabilities of Indiana University, Duke University, the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center and the University of California San Diego, and is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation. Among its services are security monitoring by shared cybersecurity operations center OmniSOC (also based at IU); a Vulnerability Identification Service; a Shared Threat Intelligence for Network Gatekeeping and Automated Response for identifying and defending against network attacks; and services from IU's Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR), an organization focused on applied cybersecurity technology, education and policy.

"The goal of ResearchSOC is to secure the integrity and reproducibility of highly valuable science research data," said Von Welch, project director for ResearchSOC and director of CACR. "In today's threat environment, researchers need to be confident that we are doing everything we can to ensure the integrity of their work."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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