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Operating Systems and Networks
2,000 words
Security of Operating Systems and Networks
This individual assignment for the Operating Systems and Networks module focuses on the security of operating systems and computer networks within a business environment. The assessment requires students to produce a professional technical report of approximately 2,000 words, supported by appropriate images demonstrating practical steps and testing activities. The assignment assesses students' knowledge and understanding of operating system and network security threats, vulnerabilities, testing approaches and practical security solutions. It also addresses the ability to develop and write complex scripts to solve problems relating to operating systems and computer networks. The assignment is based on a business scenario involving Net-Tech, a small and medium-sized technology-services enterprise. The organisation is developing a web server to provide its website to customers and is concerned about the security of the proposed system. Key concerns include operating system attacks such as buffer overflow attacks, as well as network threats involving hackers and phishing. Students are required to investigate, design and experiment with the features and functions of a web server and assess the security landscape so that appropriate security requirements can be identified. As part of the practical work, students must create a prototype Net-Tech network test rig. This involves creating two users, including a superuser and a standard user, applying appropriate baseline security, installing relevant software and security tools, conducting security tests and writing scripts to automate repetitive tasks. Students must document assumptions and parameters used in their implementation and may also make recommendations for further security measures and database-driven website functionality. The report covers several stages of the security assessment. The introduction establishes the business scenario, assumptions, aims, objectives, deliverables, available skills and resources, constraints and project scope. The background research examines common vulnerabilities, security threats, risk models, testing approaches and attack or testing tools, together with relevant legal, organisational, ethical, social and professional considerations. The pre-engagement stage focuses on setting up a suitable Linux or Kali Linux testing environment and developing a justified test plan. The engagement stage requires practical investigation of operating-system and network security. Areas include user authentication, file and directory permissions, protection against stack overflow attacks, network weaknesses, operating-system discovery, firewall configuration, listening ports, network statistics, denial-of-service prevention and script-based automation. The final post-engagement section requires students to summarise their work, identify deductions and limitations, propose mitigation measures and recommendations, and provide a self-reflection. The assessment is aligned with learning outcomes relating to understanding network security threats and developing software or scripts to solve problems in operating systems and computer networks. Students are expected to use relevant sources, reference them appropriately and include a bibliography. Practical tools such as Wireshark are specifically identified in the assignment brief, and the work should demonstrate appropriate testing methodology and security practices.
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Operating Systems and Networks
2,000 words
Security of Operating Systems and Networks – Individual Assignment
This individual assignment focuses on the security of operating systems and computer networks. Students are required to produce a professional technical report of approximately 2,000 words demonstrating a deep and systematic understanding of operating-system security, networking functions, security threats, vulnerabilities and practical security testing. The assessment carries 50% and forms 100% of the module assessment. Students are expected to support their work with appropriate technical evidence, images showing practical steps and relevant sources. The assignment uses a business scenario involving Net-Tech, a small and medium-sized technology-services enterprise. The organisation is concerned about the security of its proposed system, including operating-system attacks such as buffer overflow and network threats such as hacking and phishing. Students are required to investigate, design and experiment with the features and functions of a web server used to serve the company's website, while assessing the security landscape and presenting findings that can support appropriate organisational security decisions. As part of the practical work, students must create a prototype Net-Tech network test rig. This includes creating two users, with one configured as a superuser and another as a standard user, applying appropriate baseline security measures, installing suitable software and identifying vulnerabilities, using appropriate tools to conduct security tests, and writing scripts to automate repetitive tasks. Students must document assumptions and parameters used within the project, including further security implementations and recommendations such as the use of a suitable database for a database-driven website. The report is structured around introduction, background research, pre-engagement, engagement and post-engagement activities. The introduction should explain the business scenario, assumptions, aims, objectives, deliverables, available skills and resources, constraints and project plan. The background research should address common vulnerabilities, threats, risk models, security-testing approaches, relevant attack and testing tools, legal and organisational requirements, and ethical, social, professional and sustainability considerations. The pre-engagement section covers the test-rig setup and testing strategy. The engagement section requires practical comparison and demonstration of operating-system and network security, including user authentication, file and directory permissions, protection against stack-overflow attacks, network weaknesses, operating-system discovery, firewalls, listening ports, network statistics, prevention of denial-of-service attacks and scripting for automation. The post-engagement section requires a summary of the work, deductions and limitations, mitigation measures and recommendations, and personal reflection. The assessment requires students to use relevant sources, provide a bibliography and demonstrate appropriate analysis, evaluation and reflection. The assignment is designed to assess learning outcomes relating to knowledge of network security threats and the development of complex software and scripts relevant to operating systems and computer networks.
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Cyber Security / Penetration Testing
2,400 words
Grey-Box Penetration Testing: Vulnerability Assessment, Exploitation and Mitigation
This technical cyber-security project presents an authorised grey-box penetration test conducted within a controlled virtual laboratory environment. The objective is to assess the security posture of a deliberately vulnerable target system, identify weaknesses in exposed network services, demonstrate how those weaknesses could be exploited, evaluate their security and organisational impact, and recommend appropriate mitigation measures. The assessment follows a practical penetration-testing workflow supported by technical evidence, screenshots, activity records and academic research. The project begins with laboratory configuration, network discovery, service enumeration and vulnerability analysis. Tools including Kali Linux, Metasploitable, VMware, Nmap, Netcat and Metasploit are used across the testing lifecycle. Identified services are mapped to known vulnerabilities before controlled exploitation is undertaken and the resulting access is documented. The activity log records the progression from environment setup and network scanning through vulnerability identification, exploitation, evidence collection and final reporting. Five principal attack vectors are examined. These include the vsftpd 2.3.4 FTP backdoor, Samba username-map-script exploitation, an UnrealIRCd backdoor, insecure Java Remote Method Invocation and a misconfigured DistCC service. The practical demonstrations show how vulnerable or incorrectly configured services can permit unauthorised command execution and, in several cases, privileged shell access. For each vulnerability, the report explains the weakness, exploitation process, observed result, security impact and proposed mitigation. Recommended controls include patching or upgrading obsolete services, disabling unnecessary services, implementing firewall restrictions, strengthening authentication and input validation, restricting access to authorised systems, applying least privilege and monitoring suspicious activity. The project also incorporates group management and reflective practice. Team members perform specialised roles covering laboratory configuration, reconnaissance, vulnerability analysis, exploitation and documentation. Individual reflection considers technical performance, teamwork, evidence management and future skills development, demonstrating how structured collaboration contributes to an effective penetration-testing engagement. Important: unlike the earlier assignment briefs, these uploads appear to be completed student/project materials rather than the official 7COM1068 assessment brief. Therefore I would not invent the university, academic level or academic year. If you upload the actual 7COM1068 assignment guideline, I can fill those fields exactly.
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