SecurePurdue is a major initiative focused on improving the security of data and campus IT resources on all Purdue campuses. The goals of SecurePurdue are to:
Although Purdue has a central IT organization in ITaP, there are many other academic and business unit IT organizations as well. In all, there are 34 separate IT groups on the West Lafayette campus alone. SecurePurdue will coordinate IT security efforts across all Purdue campuses and help set University-wide priorities. A security officers group has been created with one representative from each of the IT units, and this group will serve as an advisory group for SecurePurdue.
Leadership for SecurePurdue comes from Purdue's IT Executive Steering Committee. The University's IT Student Advisory Council also provides guidance to SecurePurdue. SecurePurdue activities are coordinated by the Chief Information Security Officer, IT Networks and Security, and the Security Officer's Working Group.
SecurePurdue will have four components: technology; policy and procedures; remediation; and training and awareness.
Technology: Purdue will be updating the tools it uses to defend against illegal computing activities, and making greater use of technologies such as more robust intrusion detection, firewalls, and vulnerability scanning tools.
Policy and procedures: To implement many of the most up-to-date security technologies, Purdue policies on the use of computing resources will have to be modified or new policies and procedures created. Other policies are simply out-of-date in today’s IT world. Additionally, because of the concern about computer security, many new laws and regulations are being affecting data protection, and these may also result in a change of Purdue policies.
Remediation: There are many types of private information at the University, and protecting and authorizing access to this data also will be a part of the SecurePurdue mission. Although this restricted data takes many forms, one of the most familiar pieces of restricted data is an individual's Social Security number. Like other universities, for decades Purdue has relied on the nine-digit Social Security number, or SSN (000-00-0000) to identify individuals. However, now Purdue is replacing this number with a ten-digit PUID (00000-00000) wherever possible.
Training and awareness: SecurePurdue will affect each member of the Purdue community, and resources will be available to help everyone understand and implement the changes. This Web site serves as a clearinghouse for information and resources on computer security and issues related to the four components of SecurePurdue. Training on security issues will be offered as part of the program. This training will include documentation, videos, and courses on both technical and non-technical subjects.