Assignment: Task: Part A: Answer the following questions:
1. Search the web for news on computer security breaches that occurred during April-August 2015-2018. Research one such reported incident. Prepare a report focusing on what the problem was, how and why it occurred and what are the possible solutions.
Length: Around 800 words
2. Explain why asynchronous I/O activity is a problem with many memory protection schemes, including base/bounds and paging. Suggest a solution to the problem.
Length: Around 600 words
Part B: 1. Research the 2011 Sony PlayStation Network outage case on the web and prepare a report focusing on the following questions:
• What was the problem?
• Who were affected and how?
• How was the attack carried out?
• What could have been done to prevent the attack?
Length: Around 900 words
Rationale: This assessment task is based on the following topics discussed in the subject: the overview of Information security fundamentals, security threats, cryptography, malicious software and its countermeasures, operating system security and software security.
The assessment task is aligned with the following learning outcomes of the subject: On successful completion of this subject, students will
• be able to justify security goals and the importance of maintaining the secure computing environment against digital threats;
• be able to explain the fundamental concepts of cryptographic algorithms;
• be able to examine malicious activities that may affect the security of a computer program and justify the choice of various controls to mitigate threats.
• be able to compare and contrast the security mechanisms of a trusted operating system with those used in a general purpose operating system;