14 Cybersecurity at IU:

Now more than ever, universities and other research organizations are grappling with the risks of cybersecurity.
The pandemic rapidly shifted Indiana University online, and it’s made us all more aware of the threats we face.  

IU takes cybersecurity seriously and the service centers in this area are among our most impressive accomplishments.

The Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR) 

CACR has been working since 2003 to provide the nation with leadership in applied cybersecurity technology, education, and policy. Its applied research identifies and addresses difficult cybersecurity problems facing public and private communities, while inviting continued collaboration to foster greater innovation and creativity.  

What sets CACR apart is its ability to interweave technical and policy expertise. The center draws on Indiana University’s wide range of scholarly expertise in computer science, informatics, accounting and information systems, criminal justice, law, organizational behavior, public policy, and other disciplines, as well as the extensive practical cybersecurity experience of its operational units.

Indiana University thrives on collaboration, which is why CACR works closely with the Kelley School of Business; the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering; and the Maurer School of Law. These partnerships enable important discussions on the intersection of cybersecurity issues in business, policy, law, and technology.

The Research and Education Networks Information Sharing and Analysis Center (REN-ISAC)

The REN-ISAC serves over 650 dues-paying member institutions within the higher education and research community by promoting cybersecurity operational protections and response. Its member institutions benefit from Security Event System (SES) threat intelligence and other automated data collection and sharing tools to enable informed decisions about threats and events. What’s more, it provides peer assessment services to improve client institutions’ overall security posture.

REN-ISAC also offers members daily cybersecurity news reports, alerts and advisories, analysis reports of cybersecurity threats and mitigation, and an active, interested community of subject matter experts who provide feedback on practices and standards. The center fosters professional training and development through monthly webinars, regional workshops, and an aggregate purchasing program with the SANS Institute. The REN-ISAC staff also create informative whitepapers that provide cybersecurity tips, tricks, and procedures.

The Omni Security Operations Center (OmniSOC) 

This shared cybersecurity operations center is located at Indiana University and was founded by IU in partnership with Northwestern University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, and the University of Nebraska. In fact, OmniSOC is higher education’s only collaborative multi-state institution security operations center (SOC).  

OmniSOC is also the only collaborative SOC supporting NSF research and the only SOC with a multi-state institution data sharing agreement for researchers. 

This allows cybersecurity staff to focus on what’s important, at substantial cost savings, from a trusted leader in the higher education cybersecurity community. OmniSOC operates collaboratively across member institutions, reducing the time from first awareness of a cybersecurity threat anywhere to mitigation everywhere for its higher education institutions and research facilities members.

The Research Security Operations Center (ResearchSOC) 

This National Science Foundation-funded organization helps make scientific computing resilient to cyberattacks, specifically for the research community. It’s capable of supporting trustworthy, productive research through operational cybersecurity services, training, and information sharing. These services are provided to researchers both inside and outside of Indiana University.   

Regardless of where they get their work done, researchers’ needs vary. For instance, diverse infrastructure tools such as a high-powered telescope have very specific cybersecurity needs.  

ResearchSOC identifies these unique needs and pinpoints effective solutions. The organization ensures data integrity, confidentiality, and enables instrument accessibility all while providing direct control to project principal investigators and IT leads. In short, ResearchSOC relieves the burden and reduces the noise so researchers can focus on changing the world.