The research project will give the graduate student an opportunity to think independently to address issues in an area of network security that is of interest to the student. The work should be documented in the form of an analytic research paper, which includes a review of the recent literature of a topic approved by me.
To get my approval, please submit a short research proposal (no more than 2 pages, double spaced) of your topic (Title, Abstract and Bibliography) by the fourth week of the course. You may supplement and/modify the references proposed in the final report. There is no grade for this proposal. However, your failure to get my blessing may lead to doing the research project "at risk." Your final report may be turned down leading to no point for the research paper.
The research project should review the literature, distill the primary issues, discuss the various possible solutions to the issues raised, identify "trends," and formulate a position. The final output is a paper, 10-12 pages double-spaced, exclusive of cover, title page, table of contents, endnotes and bibliography.
The paper must use APA formatting and reference citations with the exception that tables and figures can be inserted at the appropriate location rather than added at the end. This report is due at the end of the 11th week of the course. The paper will account for 20% of the semester grade.The paper will be graded on technical content, format, clarity, and writing skill.
EXAMPLES OF TOPICS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PAPER:
• Secure Internet routing
• Distributed denial of services attacks
• Web security
• Email security
• Traffic analysis
• Wireless network security
• Mobile ad hoc network security
• Sensor network security
• Creating and managing wireless security policy
• Creating and managing firewall security policy
• Security threats in TCP/IP networks (in one or more layers)
• Securing virtualized environments
• Defining corporate mobile policies
• "Bring Your Devices" security policy
• Enterprise network firewalls - case studies and solutions
• Cloud computing security
These are only general suggestions in a random order. If you have a specific topic, in which you have interest, please describe it, so I can evaluate its suitability. Remember, that since most of the topics are very broad, you should narrow down your research to some specific subtopic or technical aspects related to the subject. Ideally, try to focus upon real situations in an organization.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY (Plagiarism) and Use Of Turnitin
"Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person's idea or product as one's own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all or part of another's written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source; and using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score, or other artistic product without attributing the work to its creator.
Students can avoid unintentional plagiarism by carefully accepted scholarly practices. Notes taken for papers and research projects should accurately record sources of material to be cited, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, and papers should acknowledge these sources in footnotes."
According to the UMUC policy, in this class students are required to submit their papers to Turnitin.com. Details regarding using this service can be found in the LEO clasrrom. Please contact me for any problems you may have.
You will be required to submit your paper to Turitin and achieve a similarity index of 10 or less. You are required to submit both the research report and the Turitin Originality Report.
The penalties on plagiarism include a zero or a grade of F on the work in question, a grade of F in the course, suspension with a file letter, suspension with a transcript notation, or expulsion.
You will be required to submit your paper to Turitin and achieve a similarity index of 10 or less. You are required to submit both the research report and the Turitin Originality Report.