To: Department Administrators
From: Cliff Dillhunt, CALS Administrative Computing Services
Re: Computer Information Systems at Plant Genetic Research Labs
Date: January 29, 2001

In an effort to ensure better security for computer installations within the College, I've agreed to assist the folks in Internal Audit in getting the word out on the potential risks and the measures that can be taken to protect servers, workstations, and their data.

As you may already know, Internal Audit recently conducted a series of security reviews of plant genetics research data. They have completed their review of labs that use centralized computing services in Agronomy, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Entomology, Genetics, Horticulture and Plant Pathology.

Internal Audit is asking for our assistance in getting the word out to those running the smaller, stand-alone labs and research computers that don't have centralized or server support and were not covered in their security reviews.

The objectives of these reviews were to evaluate:

Each of these categories is explained in detail on the CALS Administrative Computing Services web site

http://www.cals.wisc.edu/acs

just go to "Security" and from there to "Plant Genetics Research Labs."

This link includes a listing of other on-line resources including the federal CERT/CC and the campus BadgIRT computer security sites.

We would like to get same information disseminated to any stand-alone plant genetic and other research labs in your department. The intent is to provide information and encourage safe practices. Internal Audit will not conduct individual reviews. It's up to each installation to handle this. I encourage you to take this opportunity to get this information out to all your computing installations and labs.

Feel free to contact me or to give my name as a resource to others in your department. Please let me know if you have any questions about computer security.

Thanks for your assistance in your department.

Cliff

3-3685