Operational security requirements for large collaborative compute infrastructures

Large collaborative infrastructures that span multiple organizations such as those that enable grid computing and scientific experimentation are being deployed and used today. In order to secure these infrastructures a comprehensive requirements study is needed that takes into account the novel risks, threats, and operational issues brought on by the large-scale, distributed nature of these systems. In this paper we argue that gaps in security policies and procedures combined with organizational autonomy are the primary drivers motivating a set of requirements that go beyond those observed today. With three example infrastructures in mind, namely, Teragrid, LHC Grid, and GENI, we explore the novel risks, threats, and operational issues to compose a set of operational security requirements; the satisfaction of which will be essential for securing such large collaborative infrastructures.