NERSC Computer Security

NERSC computer security efforts are aimed at protecting NERSC systems and its users’ intellectual property from unauthorized access or modification.

Among NERSC’s security goals are the following:

• Protect NERSC systems from unauthorized access.
• Prevent the interruption of services to its users.
• Prevent misuse or abuse of NERSC resources.

Security Incidents

If you think there has been a computer security incident, contact NERSC Security as soon as possible at security@nersc.gov.  

Please save any evidence of the break-in and include as many details as possible in your communication with us.

NERSC has instituted a number of policies to help achieve these security goals.

NERSC requires all users to protect their user passwords by only transmitting them over the network in encrypted form.  Network connections for logins are allowed only through the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol.  NERSC runs a specialized version of the SSH server that assists in intrusion detection.

File transfers can be accomplished by using the scp or sftp utilities, both of which use SSH protocols. Secure access to the HPSS storage system is also available via ftp and hsi, using “hpss tokens.” 

Related Technical Documentation

• Accessing HPSS.
• Passwords
• Connecting to NERSC
• Transferring Data

More detailed information on this and other questions related to using NERSC resources is available on NERSC’s technical documentation website,