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.

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;