Cryptography – Secure Land Transaction Contract Exchange Protocol
This 2,500-word Cryptography coursework for Coventry University examines the design of a secure communication protocol for the remote exchange and signing of legal property transaction contracts. The assignment is based on a scenario involving Hackit & Run LLP (H&R), a firm of solicitors specialising in property transactions in the UK and overseas. Because property transactions are increasingly conducted through remote communications, H&R intends to establish a comprehensive system for secure document handling, exchange and digital signing that complies with legal requirements and remains enforceable under UK law. The scenario concerns a land transaction between Mrs. Harvey, the buyer, and Mr L.M. Facey, the seller. Students must devise a communication protocol involving three parties: H&R, the seller’s solicitor and Mrs. Harvey. H&R communicates with the seller through the seller’s solicitor rather than directly with the seller. The seller’s solicitor sends the contract to H&R, H&R forwards it to Mrs. Harvey, Mrs. Harvey digitally signs the contract and returns it to H&R, and H&R then sends the signed contract to the seller’s solicitor. The assignment requires students to consider two communication scenarios between H&R and the seller’s solicitor: a situation where the two parties have previously communicated securely and a situation where they are communicating securely for the first time. Students must identify suitable encryption algorithms for the different stages of the contract exchange protocol and justify their algorithm choices. The work should demonstrate an understanding of appropriate cryptographic approaches for maintaining confidentiality, integrity and availability during secure communication. Students must clearly illustrate their proposed protocol using suitable graphics and pseudocode. A full functioning implementation using a programming language may be provided as a higher-level approach. The report must identify the strengths and limitations of the proposed protocol and discuss the findings. This requires students to connect cryptographic theory with a practical security protocol designed for a real-world legal transaction. The coursework assesses knowledge of modern cryptography, including symmetric-key cryptography, key exchange, asymmetric cryptography, digital signatures, digital certificates and authentication. Students are also expected to model, test and assess the suitability of cryptographic protocols and algorithms for different practical requirements and critically evaluate current research and technological developments in cryptography and its applications. The final submission is a written report of 2,500 words, excluding appendices and tables, with properly formatted references. The assignment is categorised as a report and is a normal coursework attempt. The brief does not specify a particular referencing style or academic level, so these fields should not be guessed when entering the assignment into the Reference Library.
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