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Computer Networks / Network Security / Cloud and Software Defined Networking
3,500 words
Network Systems and Security: Ad Hoc, Cloud and Software Defined Networking Emulation
This Network Systems and Security coursework requires students to design, implement and critically evaluate a series of practical network-emulation environments covering wireless Ad Hoc networking, cloud services and Software Defined Networking (SDN). The project combines Python-based network configuration with practical connectivity testing, cloud deployment, controller-based networking and theoretical evaluation of contemporary network-security technologies. The first task involves designing an Ad Hoc wireless network representing an emergency-response scenario. Students configure at least three wireless stations using Mininet-WiFi, assign appropriate network parameters and demonstrate connectivity through ICMP communication. The task requires discussion of the design and implementation together with the Python script used to configure the emulated environment. 7COM1076+ref+def+CW+2025+26+ The second task focuses on cloud-service emulation. Students develop a simple static website, deploy it through Render.com and GitHub, and access the hosted service from a Mininet-emulated network. Required evidence includes the Python implementation, cloud configuration screenshots, commands used to provide internet connectivity, webpage access through an xterm environment and the associated HTML code. 7COM1076+ref+def+CW+2025+26+ The third practical component examines Software Defined Networking using the ONOS controller. Students construct an emulated topology containing hosts, servers and programmable switches, demonstrate complete ICMP connectivity and perform a TCP transmission lasting 600 seconds. Evidence must include the network-emulation script, ONOS graphical interface and connectivity results. 7COM1076+ref+def+CW+2025+26+ The final analytical section critically evaluates whether Software Defined Networking and Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) complement one another and examines security algorithms used within cloud computing. Students compare two selected cryptographic approaches, evaluating their respective advantages and disadvantages. 7COM1076+ref+def+CW+2025+26+ Overall, the coursework integrates network modelling, wireless networking, cloud deployment, SDN control, Python scripting, connectivity testing and security analysis. The marking scheme gives substantial weight to system modelling, cloud and SDN implementation, ICMP/TCP functionality, technical analysis and overall report quality. 7COM1076+ref+def+CW+2025+26+
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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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Networking and Security Practice
Networking and Security Practice – Recorded Demonstration
This assessment for the MSc Cyber Security module Networking and Security Practice is a practical recorded-demonstration coursework designed to assess students' ability to configure, secure, troubleshoot and monitor a virtualised sandbox network. The assessment contributes 60% of the module mark and consists of four recorded demonstration videos, with each video limited to a maximum of five minutes. The completed videos are submitted through a Moodle quiz as video files or accessible links. The practical environment uses virtual machines running Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu Desktop on VirtualBox or UTM. Students deploy a four-machine architecture consisting of a Gateway, Webserver, Workstation and Zabbix-Server. The Gateway acts as the router, firewall and NAT gateway; the Webserver hosts an Nginx web server; the Workstation is used for administration and testing; and the Zabbix-Server provides network monitoring. The architecture requires appropriate network interfaces, IP addresses, routing and communication between the different internal networks. The coursework develops practical networking and system administration skills through several phases. Students install and configure operating systems, allocate virtual machine resources, configure static IP addresses, enable IP forwarding and NAT masquerading, and implement firewall rules using iptables. They also develop command-line proficiency using networking, DNS, security, remote-access and web tools including ping, traceroute, ss, nslookup, dig, nmap, Wireshark, netcat, SSH, SCP, rsync, curl and wget. Students must also configure secure remote access and deploy an Nginx web server. SSH must be hardened by disabling password authentication and root login, while key-based authentication is used for secure access. The Webserver must contain a customised landing page showing the student's name and student ID, which is accessed from the Workstation. The monitoring component requires installation and configuration of Zabbix, deployment of agents across the virtual machines, host monitoring, a customised dashboard containing at least five live-data widgets and configured alerts or triggers. Students must explain what their selected monitoring elements measure and why they are operationally useful. The traffic-analysis component uses Wireshark to capture and examine HTTP, ICMP and DNS traffic. Students apply appropriate filters, identify protocols using the Protocol Hierarchy and discuss the security implications of unencrypted HTTP traffic, including secure alternatives such as HTTPS and DNS over TLS. The security-evaluation component uses Nmap within the isolated virtualised sandbox to identify open ports and services, assess vulnerabilities and recommend mitigations. Students must also demonstrate iptables forwarding and NAT masquerading rules. The four videos cover Network Infrastructure, Network Monitoring, Traffic Analysis and Security Evaluation. The assessment is marked out of 100, with 35 marks allocated to Network Infrastructure, 25 to Network Monitoring, 20 to Traffic Analysis and 20 to Security Evaluation. Students are expected to provide clear voice narration, explain commands and outputs, demonstrate technical understanding and critically relate their work to network security. The assessment develops employability skills in Linux administration, remote system management, network troubleshooting, security hardening, packet analysis, port and service scanning, virtualisation and network monitoring. It also requires students to conduct security testing ethically within their own isolated virtualised environment and prohibits unauthorised scanning of university networks, public websites or other systems.
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Network Security
1,500 words
The Case Study – Network Security Planning and Upgrade
This individual assessment for the Network Security module requires students to work as network consultants and carry out network and security planning and an upgrade for an imaginary company. The assignment is titled “The Case study” and requires students to produce a written report presenting solutions to the problems identified within the case study. The assessment is worth 15 credits and requires approximately 1,500 words, with a permitted variation of ±10%. The coursework focuses on applying network security concepts and protocols to contemporary Internet and mobile-based solutions and technologies. Students are expected to analyse the requirements of the imaginary organisation, identify relevant network and security issues and propose appropriate planning and upgrade solutions. The report should demonstrate an understanding of network security technologies while considering the organisation's information assets and operational requirements. A significant part of the assessment concerns network performance. Students must provide recommendations and suggestions for addressing network performance issues identified in the case study. Where the proposed solution changes the existing network design, an appropriate network diagram should be included. The brief allows students to use tools such as Packet Tracer or other suitable applications to represent the proposed network design. The assignment also requires students to consider security policy and network protection. The existing security policy should be reviewed and recommendations should be made for improving it. Students are specifically instructed not to create a completely new security policy because the organisation already has one. In addition, the report should discuss how appropriate security measures could be implemented across the network. Detailed device configurations are not required, although relevant examples or configuration snippets are encouraged. Because the information provided in the case study is incomplete, students must identify and document their assumptions and requirements. This includes defining unspecified parameters such as network speeds, device features and existing policy details. The assumptions and requirements section is therefore an important part of the investigation and contributes to the assessment mark. The final report should summarise the key findings of the investigation and may recommend how any remaining IT support budget could be used. References must be included and used effectively to support the discussion. The marking criteria allocate 10% to the introduction, 10% to assumptions and requirements, 20% to improving performance, 20% to policy amendments, 20% to securing the network, 10% to the conclusion/summary and 10% to references. The assessed learning outcomes cover the application of network security concepts and protocols, critical evaluation and design of security policies, understanding of IT governance and its influence on organisational security policy, and critical review of current research and technological advances in network security. The brief also permits AI assistance, but any AI tools used must be referenced and their use summarised at the end of the report before the reference list.
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Security of Emerging Connected Systems
2,000 words
Security Evaluation – Secure Design, Security Audit and IoT Security Recommendations
This individual coursework for the Security of Emerging Connected Systems module requires students to prepare a 2,000-word technical report evaluating secure design, security auditing and security recommendations for an organisation developing Internet of Things (IoT) devices and systems for home and workplace environments. The assessment is worth 10 credits and requires students to provide practical and evidence-based guidance to the client’s software development team. The report is assessed across secure design and development methodology, security audit methodology, security recommendations and overall report structure. The first major section addresses Secure Design and Development Methodology. The client wants to incorporate secure design principles into its software development workflow and therefore requires an overview of possible secure design processes relevant to IoT. Students must evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and provide a justified recommendation for a process that would be appropriate for the client. The emphasis is on integrating security into the design and development of systems rather than treating security as a separate activity after development. The second section focuses on Security Audit Methodology. The client wants to complement its secure design process with a security audit of the final developed system. Students must provide a practical guide explaining how a security audit could be performed, including the overall testing methodology and the purpose of each stage. The brief identifies methodologies such as PTES and OWASP as examples. Students are also expected to discuss different approaches and evaluate their respective strengths and weaknesses. The third section concerns Security Recommendations and requires students to demonstrate the implications of strong secure design and auditing through an IoT security case study. Students must research a security vulnerability affecting an IoT device, explain the vulnerability and identify where the security flaw was introduced. The report must then examine which parts of the secure design and audit processes were not implemented correctly and evaluate the resulting impact on the security of the product. The report is intended for a technical audience, specifically the client's software development team. Students are expected to use an appropriate technical structure and language, support their arguments and analysis with references, and use APA referencing. The assessment also encourages appropriate diagrams to support the written content. The report structure component accounts for 10% of the assessment, while Secure Design and Development Methodology, Security Audit Methodology and Security Recommendations each account for 30%. The coursework assesses learning outcomes relating to defence-in-depth solutions for technical internet security vulnerabilities, secure private networks for IoT and BYOD, and current research and technological advances in network security. These outcomes connect the assignment to practical IoT security engineering, secure development, security auditing and emerging network-security practices.
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Network Security and Incident Report
1,500 words
Network Security and Incident Report – Megadodo Publications
This 1,500-word individual coursework for the Network Security and Incident Report module examines the network infrastructure and security challenges of Megadodo Publications, a company located near Warwick that has expanded into two buildings, Ursa Major Alpha and Ursa Minor Beta. Despite investment in new networking equipment, the organisation is experiencing poor network performance and repeated security incidents involving the leakage of sensitive information into the public domain. The situation is particularly urgent because the company is negotiating an important government contract. The student is placed in the role of a network security professional asked to investigate the existing environment and provide recommendations for improving its infrastructure and security. The case study provides a network topology, addressing scheme, equipment information and an existing security policy. The network connects departments across the two buildings and includes servers, management systems, sales, marketing, legal, finance, software development, product testing, administration, IT support, Wi-Fi and a rented floor occupied by a separate start-up company. The addressing scheme identifies separate subnets for several organisational functions, while the topology includes multiple switches, routers, servers and wireless access points. The report requires students to make reasonable assumptions where information is incomplete and document those assumptions at the beginning of the report. The first substantive task evaluates how the organisation's network performance could be improved. Recommendations should address the existing infrastructure and, where the design is changed, include an appropriate network diagram using tools such as Packet Tracer or other suitable applications. The second major area addresses amendments to the existing security policy. Students should recommend improvements to the current policy rather than create a completely new policy. The report must also discuss how appropriate security measures could be implemented across the network and its devices. Detailed device configurations are not required, although relevant examples or configuration snippets are encouraged. The final section requires a summary of the key findings and recommendations, together with a proposal for how the organisation could use its remaining IT support budget of approximately £8,000 and identify areas for future investment. The assessment is divided into introduction, assumptions and requirements, improving performance, policy amendments, security and devices, summary and budget, and references. The marking scheme allocates 50% of the module mark to this coursework, with the individual report submitted as a single DOC, DOCX or PDF document.
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1,500 words
Network Security Evaluation and Monitoring – Reconnaissance, Incident Response and APTs
This coursework assesses the research and analytical abilities required to design and evaluate an effective network security evaluation and monitoring solution. The scenario places the student in the role of a network security evaluation specialist responsible for helping a client design and build a monitoring solution for a complex client network. The client operates in the defence and security sector, works with government departments, multinational organisations and foreign agencies, and handles sensitive information. The network includes several server farms, gateway nodes, hundreds of client nodes, internal application services, externally accessible services and wireless access points. The organisation is considered vulnerable to threats such as sabotage and intellectual property theft. The coursework requires all questions to be answered in the given order within a single report. An abstract is not required, and students are expected to use technical terminology precisely. Relevant and clearly labelled illustrations are encouraged. Where assumptions are required about security software, hardware or services already deployed on the network, these assumptions must be clearly identified in a dedicated “Assumptions” section at the beginning of the report. Question 1 focuses on detecting network reconnaissance originating from inside the organisation. Students must explain how an insider could collect and use reconnaissance information for malicious purposes, identify the types of data that should be collected and the appropriate network locations for collection, and justify the selection of monitoring data. The question also requires recommendations for suitable tools and configurations to detect reconnaissance activity, together with strategies for dealing with the scale and high traffic volume of the client network. This section carries 30 marks and has a suggested length of 500 words. Question 2 focuses on incident response following a confirmed security incident. The scenario involves suspicious out-of-hours activity and an external flash drive connected to a workstation at gateway 10, a large number of files being opened on a file server at gateway 9, and significant traffic between the workstation and a database server at gateway 5. Students must determine which previously collected data would be relevant, explain the evidence expected from that data, and recommend additional network and endpoint data that should be collected. The proposed approach must be forensically sound so that evidence can potentially be used in court. This section carries 50 marks and has a suggested length of 700 words. Question 3 addresses Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and evaluates the effectiveness of the proposed monitoring solution. Students must recommend appropriate testing to determine whether the monitoring system operates according to its specifications and objectives, explain the types, timing and location of testing, and identify suitable qualifications, certifications, knowledge and tool experience for security testers. The section also requires discussion of APT behaviour and how the proposed monitoring mechanisms could detect or prevent such activity. This section carries 20 marks and has a suggested length of 300 words. Overall, the coursework develops skills in network security monitoring, reconnaissance detection, incident response, digital forensics, security testing and APT detection. It requires students to connect technical monitoring strategies with practical security, legal and operational considerations within a complex organisational network environment.
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Network Systems and Administration
3,500 words
Network Systems and Administration – Linux System and Network Administration Portfolio
This assessment is an individual portfolio for the Network Systems and Administration unit. It consists of two quizzes and a report based on a case study involving the development, implementation, configuration, testing, maintenance, and evaluation of a network solution using an industry-standard network operating system. The report requires students to justify their design and implementation decisions, provide a detailed testing strategy, develop a maintenance and disaster recovery plan, and critically evaluate the completed solution. The case study concerns Piranha, a small organisation in which the business owner has been maintaining a server containing information relating to finance, management, production, and sales. The student is required to undertake the role of Network Systems Administrator and configure an appropriate Linux-based network environment. The practical work includes creating a new user account with root access, confirming root privileges, verifying access to company files, and configuring group-based access controls for finance, management, production, and sales directories. Students must then establish a client-server network by installing a Linux distribution on a separate virtual machine in VirtualBox. SSH connections are required to verify user access and the configured file permissions. The assessment also requires students to use Wireshark to observe network traffic during SSH sessions, report on packet types and encryption, identify potential security vulnerabilities, and recommend improvements such as SSH keys and unique passwords. A maintenance schedule and a brief disaster recovery or backup strategy must also be proposed. The final report must document the practical work with clear explanations and screenshots showing commands, user accounts, and results. The report should be between 1,500 and 3,500 words. The assessment also includes Linux Essentials and Networking Essentials final grades. The marking criteria cover system and network administration, the maintenance plan, reflection and report writing, screenshots, references, and Harvard referencing.
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