The scenario description and requirements:
Prepare a short research paper of approximately 900-1000 words, double-spaced, exclusive of cover, title page, table of contents, [actually cover/title page and TOC are not required] endnotes and bibliography. Your paper must use APA formatting with the exception that tables and figures can be inserted at the appropriate location rather than added at the end. Submit the paper in your assignment folder as a Word document.
Scenario: Sandra changes banks following her troubles with MBT. At her new bank, Ultimate Security Trust (UST), RSA is used as the cryptographic system. Sandra creates a key pair and supplies to Fiona, an officer of UST who will handle her account, with her public key {eA, nA}, securing her private key {dA, nA} on a thumb drive which he keeps locked in a wall safe at her home. In turn, Fiona gives Sandra access to a key server maintained by UST so that she can readily obtain Fiona's current public key {eF, nF} whenever she needs to communicate securely with Fiona.
Things are fine for several months until Sandra sends Fiona a message m asking about current interest rates on Certificates of Deposit issued by UST. As shown below, she enciphers the message first, and then signs it
c = (meF mod nF)dA mod nA
Where C is the encrypted message and m is the plaintext message.
A few days later, Sandra received a statement that shows a debit of $1,000,000 from her account. On inquiring, she was told that Fiona transferred the money out of Sandra's account into an account of her own in a bank on the Caribbean island of Nevis. When reached via long distance in Nevis, Fiona produced a message 'g'from Sandra saying: "Thanks for your excellent service, Fiona. Please transfer $1,000,000 from my account to yours as a token of my esteem and appreciation. -Signed, Sandra."
Sandra files suit against Fiona, UST and the government of the Nevis, claiming that the message was a forgery sent by Fiona herself, asking for triple damages for pain and suffering. Fiona has responded by claiming that all procedures were followed properly and that Sandra is filing a nuisance suit.
You have been employed by UST as a cryptographic expert to assist in the investigation of this matter and help them decide what to do with Sandra issue. You obtain Fiona's private key from the UST server, and the cipher text C, and calculate
( ceA mod nA)dF mod nF) = g
Where g is the plain text message which was obtained the cipher text C.
Your report to the UST Board of Directors should address the following issues:
- From the facts as presented what can be determined about Sandra's intentions to make Fiona a gift of $1,000,000? How did the fact help you in forming your conclusion?
- What is the significance of Nevis Island?
- What is the significance of Sandra's message to Fiona asking for interest rates?
- Assuming UST wishes to continue using RSA as its cryptographic system, what UST and Sandra could have done to protect against this controversy arising?
- How to proceed in the litigation
Your report should clearly address these issues including recommendation for the Sandra's suit, with sufficient detail and background to allow the Board of Directors who are cryptographically challenged to understand the issues involved and formulate plans for how to approach the immediate issue with Sandra, and to continue business in the future, assuming that they want to continue using only RSA. Assume that the directors do not know what RSA is and/or how it works.