CICI:TCR: Routing Operations Observational Technology: Building to Enable Education and Research (ROOTBEER)

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $1,199,999 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

The ROOTBEER award ensures that Internet routing policies align with the security and integrity goals of the U.S. science ecosystem. Research and education (R&E) networks offer specialized capacity to their member institutions, enabling data-intensive collaborative research across scientific disciplines. To support seamless workflows for domain scientists, R&E networks typically prioritize R&E routes ahead of commodity Internet routes. Although optimal for scientific collaboration, this approach introduces vulnerabilities to the integrity of the underlying routing infrastructure for two related reasons. First, prioritizing R&E paths increases the importance of ensuring correctness in all R&E router configurations. Even minor misconfigurations have resulted in significant route leaks, inadvertently transmitting sensitive U.S. scientific traffic through unintended international routes. Second, academic networks operate under constrained budgets with limited staffing, and many of them have yet to implement routing security innovations recommended as best practices for over a decade. Furthermore, as with many security measures, routing innovations can introduce unforeseen vulnerabilities, creating additional barriers to adoption. ROOTBEER develops and deploys a security-focused routing observatory and operational support system designed to ensure that routing policies are both correct and effective. The observatory leverages recent innovations in network measurement and

Key facts

NSF award ID
2530871
Awardee
University of California-San Diego (CA)
SAM.gov UEI
UYTTZT6G9DT1
PI
Kimberly C Claffy
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
—
Estimated total
$1,199,999
Funds obligated
$1,199,999
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
10/01/2025 → 09/30/2028