BD Spokes: PLANNING: NORTHEAST: Cross-organization Big Data Cyber Attack Awareness

Cyber attacks, especially those involving Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), have targeted organizations of all types, including higher education institutions. A key opportunity to counter large-scale cyber attacks is to initiate the establishment of a broad partnership regarding the ultimate goal of cross-organization protected sharing of relevant cyber security data for enhanced operation, workforce development, and research. The impacts of sharing cyber security data are immense. Due to the risks of monoculture in enterprise computing, the 'one plus one is greater than two' effects have already been widely recognized in the cyber security community. They can enhance collaborative cyber security operations through cross-organization sharing of relevant cybersecurity data. They can also empower researchers to develop scalable data analytics and tools for more effective prevention, mitigation, and response to cross-organization cyber attacks. Finally, they can significantly enhance the education and learning of diverse cyber security workforce (including developers, analysts, and managers). A key challenge for sharing cyber security data is an institution's concern about potential risks involved in sharing such data. Due to the complexity of the problems, solutions to tackle this challenge can only emerge from meetings and forums that include all stake holders such that their potential concerns about sharing cyber security data can be addressed together. Furthermore, thought leaders in cyber security, big data analytics, cyber infrastructure, privacy, data sharing policy and compliance can all contribute to such discussions in a unique way. Therefore, this project will organize a series of planning activities (including a workshop) regarding Cross-organization Sharing of Cyber Security Data, in collaboration with the Northeast Big Data Hub, Penn State, Rutgers University, Dartmouth College, industry partners (e.g., IBM), and government partners (e.g., Army Research Lab). The workshop will generate a report regarding best practices (including draft agreements and related infrastructures), planning for workforce development, and path to financial sustainability for three academic institutions in Northeast region (i.e., the Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, and Dartmouth College) to enable and leverage cross-organization sharing of massive cyber security data.

This project will improve our understanding about the complex issues related to barriers for protected sharing of cyber security data. An improved understanding regarding these issues and their relationships in a holistic way provides a critical base on which possible best practices for agreements, frameworks, and cyber infrastructures for sharing relevant cyber security data can be established. In addition, the workshop will also identify options and uncover their tradeoffs for addressing the complex issues for cross-organization sharing of cyber security data. It is likely that these tacit knowledge, once articulated clearly through the workshop report, will enhance the formal knowledge regarding cyber security analysis, management, and tool development, especially for achieving cross-organization big data cyber attack awareness. This project will also generate three broad impacts: (i) it will fundamentally transform cyber defense operations by enabling multi-organization collaborative defense; (ii) it will enhance the global competitiveness of diverse cyber security workforce through enhancements to training tools, learning modules, and courses that leverage real-world cyber security data; (iii) it will foster research regarding cross-organization cyber situation awareness through innovative analytics of massive cross-organization cyber security data.

This award is co-funded by the CISE Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Secure and Trustworthy Computing (SaTC) Program.