GUIDELINES
The purpose of an assignment is to ensure that the Learner is able to:
- Use methods of enquiry and research in a disciplined field.
- Interpret and evaluate text.
- Have a sound understanding of key principles and theories, rules and awareness.
- Solve unfamiliar problems using correct procedures as well as investigate and critically analyse information and report thereof.
- Present and communicate information reliably and coherently.
Instructions and guidelines for writing assignments
1. Use the correct cover page provided by the institution.
2. All essay type assignments must include the following:
Table of contents
Introduction
Main body with subheadings
Conclusions and recommendations
Bibliography
3. The length of the entire assignment must have minimum of 5 pages. Preferably typed with font size 12
The quality of work submitted is more important than the number of assigned pages.
4. Copying is a serious offence which attracts a severe penalty and must be avoided at all costs. If any learner transgresses this rule, the lecturer will retain the assignments and ask the affected learners to resubmit a new assignment which will be capped at 50%.
5. Use the Harvard referencing method.
QUESTION ONE
Viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and hacking are all security issues in our computer network. Each of these malwares or programs attaches and spreads in different ways. Through hacking hackers can infect computers with various types or malware and viruses. Explain what viruses are, how it occurs and the types of cybercrimes that can result from it, and how to better protect computers.
"Security warning! Application cannot be encrypted or Spyware alert! Your computer is infected by spyware. Do you want to activate your antivirus software now?" These are usually the messages that appear on your computer when it is infected by a virus. These are the types of viruses and message traps that hackers attempt to use to scam users into buying false antivirus software. Each type of these infectious malwares and programs by hackers are different and occur in various ways.
Viruses and hacking have a major impact on two main topics discussed in Computer Information Technology. Provide Data Security Technologies and elaborate on how each is implemented.
QUESTION TWO
2.1 Discuss how developers should apply the following countermeasures to improve the security of their code:
a) Modularity
b) Coupling
c) Encapsulation
d) Information hiding
e) Mutual suspicion
2.2 If you forget your password for a website and you click [Forgot my password], sometimes the company sends you a new password by e-mail, but sometimes it sends you your old password by e-mail. Compare these two cases in terms of vulnerability of the website owner.
2.3 Explain, with a suitable diagram, what a buffer overflow error is and what the possible results of the occurrence of one are.
QUESTION THREE
KERBOROS VERSUS PUBLIC KEY INFRASTRUCTURE
What is the trusted third party called in Kerberos? Briefly describe its functions
What is the trusted third party called in PKI? Briefly describe its functions.
Consider a DDOS attack on Kerboros's central server. Which property of security (confidentiality, availability and integrity) has been violated from the user's perspective? Explain.
Now consider a DDOS attack on a PKI's central server. Which property of security has been violated from the user's perspective? Explain.
Consider a Kerboros system in which the central server has been silently compromised. Which property of security has been violated from the user's perspective? Explain.
Consider a PKI system in which the central server has been silently compromised. Which property of security has been violated from the user's perspective? Explain.