Secure Network Configuration Management for Linux based Routers

This paper presents a detailed implementation and operation plan for remote configuration management of a research network infrastructure. GIAC University is currently involved with several large-scale research projects that utilize individually identifiable medical records. Medical records are considered protected data by the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and steps must be taken to insure their confidentiality. Until now, the University has had complete control over the computing infrastructure for its projects. Recently, a joint partnership between the university and a private company (ACME Industries) was awarded a federal grant to computerize a collection of historical medical information. This collection will be used for ongoing medical surveillance of individual patients and other industrial health applications. Users of these applications will be located nationwide and will access the data via a private network as well as the Internet.