Educause Security Discussion mailing list archives

Re: Security of Research Data


From: "Delaney, Cherry L." <cdelaney () PURDUE EDU>
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 08:49:11 -0400

We use Public, Sensitive and Restricted as our categories and they are
well defined. 


Cherry 
-----Original Message-----
From: Howell, Paul [mailto:grue () UMICH EDU] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 9:14 AM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: Re: [SECURITY] Security of Research Data

 
Does your campus community intuitively understand the labels
"Confidential, Sensitive and Public", and what research (or other) data
fit into each category?

We've been using similar labels for a few years and still encounter
difficulties communicating the security around terms such as
"Confidential" & "Sensitive".  A common question is which one is higher?
We reverse the order here, "Sensitive, then Private/Confidential, then
Public", for example.

I wish that there were generally recognized labels that we could all use
and that were intuitive to the community.


< paul


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Brukbacher [mailto:sab2 () UWM EDU]
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 6:31 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: Re: [SECURITY] Security of Research Data

We're encouraging people to think in terms of data classification, 
regardless of whether it is research data or HR data or any other 
source.  We have a high-level information security policy pending 
approval. Underneath that will be a data classification policy, system

config guidelines, etc.

In our proposed data classification guidelines, we state that research

data should be considered sensitive data if it does not fall in to the

higher category of confidential (based on a 3-tiered classification 
scheme, (Confidential, Sensitive and Public).

We've also implemented a file share program, Xythos to allow 
researchers
   to share information in a manner that is safer than sending thing 
in email attachments or opening up an FTP port on a departmental 
machine or email an unencrypted CD through the mail.  It allows users 
granular control over what UWM users can access what folders/files and

related permissions.  It also allows for the creation of tickets or 
web links to documents.  While this gives whoever knows the link 
access to the file, it can also be password protected.  As you might 
imagine, good user training will be key here.

We're working on developing requirements for laptop encryption apps 
(preferably whole hard drive) as well and hope to have something 
available to our users in the near future. We've seen an increase in 
the number of research programs going mobile, so we are responding to 
that increased risk.


--
Steve Brukbacher, CISSP
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Information Security Coordinator
UWM Computer Security Web Site
www.security.uwm.edu
Phone: 414.229.2224



Crawford, Tim M. wrote:
I'm curious to know what strategies others use to address
research data. 
Is this something that you're addressing today? If so, how do you 
identify and protect accordingly?
 
Regards,
 
Tim
 
______________________________________
/Tim M. Crawford/
/Associate Director, IT Operations/
/Stanford Graduate School of Business/ /650.724.2447/ 
/tcrawford () gsb stanford edu/
<blocked::mailto:tcrawford () gsb stanford edu>
 


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