Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By Ann West, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships and Research, InCommon
Are you wondering how higher ed institutions across the nation are managing identity verification and fraud prevention challenges? So are we. InCommon, powered by Internet2, has launched a comprehensive survey to understand how U.S. campuses are addressing these challenges. This initiative comes at a critical time when institutions face mounting pressure to implement robust identity assurance measures for addressing fraud concerns and accessing sensitive research data and other resources. The under 10-minute survey is open until Oct. 15.
Why Now?
The landscape of identity management in higher education has reached an inflection point. Federal agencies, particularly those managing sensitive research data, increasingly require Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) compliance under NIST standards. Research data defaults to a “Moderate” impact level under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), automatically triggering these heightened requirements. Meanwhile, campuses are grappling with various fraud risks across multiple touchpoints—from student financial aid to employee onboarding.
What’s the Focus of the Survey?
The Identity Verification and Fraud survey explores several key areas:
- Current fraud concerns and identity verification use cases
- Existing implementations and planned initiatives
- Methodologies being used or considered (from commercial services to government ID validation)
- Interest in community collaboration and potential Internet2 identity proofing services
Notably, the survey acknowledges that identity verification extends beyond technical implementation to encompass HR processes, student services, and facility access—recognizing the multi-faceted nature of campus identity management.
Building Community Solutions
Whether your institution is just beginning to explore identity assurance or already implementing advanced solutions, your perspective matters. This survey represents more than data collection—it’s about building a collaborative approach to addressing shared challenges. The survey results will help Internet2 work with you to develop community-driven initiatives that balance security requirements with operational feasibility. By participating, you’ll help ensure that future identity verification solutions reflect the diverse needs of the research and education community.Please consider taking the 10-minute survey before Oct. 15.
Need More Info?
You might find the recording from our recent IAM Online webinar, “Beyond Authentication: When Secure Access Demands Identity Assurance,” helpful. The webinar, which will be available on Sept. 29, provides more background on identity proofing, a core component of identity verification.
The InCommon Community has developed implementation guidance for how to support the identity proofing requirements for the international REFEDS Assurance Framework (RAF) Identity Assurance Profile High comparable to NIST 800-63 Identity Assurance Level 2, which is now required for access to a growing set of federal agencies sites like NIH’s Controlled Access Data Repositories.
Recommendations for REFEDS Assurance Framework 2.0 Implementation for InCommon Identity Providers emphasizes:
- Incremental adoption: Not all RAF claims need implementation immediately or universally
- Leveraging existing processes: Human Resources onboarding and student admissions procedures often already provide identity proofing
- Flexible user levels: Different users can qualify for different assurance levels based on need
To learn more, check out the recording ion the IAM Rewind section of the IAM Online page on Sept. 29.
About Internet2 and InCommon
Internet2 is a nonprofit, member-driven advanced technology community with a diverse portfolio of solutions that leverages, integrates, and amplifies the strengths of its members, helping to support their educational, research, and community service missions. Internet2’s InCommon provides tailored IAM solutions, specialized tools, and strategic guidance for the specific privacy, trust and security needs of Research and Higher Education – empowering secure, scalable inter-organizational collaboration.