Security of Connected Systems
4,500 words
CW: Security Evaluation
This assignment is an individual technical report focused on the security evaluation and strategic development of a rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) systems developer based in Coventry. The client specialises in innovative IoT devices and systems for residential and commercial applications, particularly smart energy monitoring, and is planning to scale its operations and expand into new markets. The report is designed to provide practical and strategic guidance on how the organisation can achieve this growth while maintaining strong cybersecurity. The assignment requires students to act as an external IoT Security and Scaling Strategist and critically evaluate the organisation’s current and future security needs. The report covers four principal areas: organisational change strategy, secure design and development strategy, security audit strategy, and security recommendations. The organisational change section considers internal and external factors influencing growth, the development and implementation of an organisational strategy, monitoring against objectives, and approaches to leading and managing strategic change using relevant change management theories and models. The secure design and development section requires an overview and evaluation of possible secure design processes for IoT systems, including their strengths and weaknesses, followed by a recommendation for an appropriate process. The security audit section examines methods such as PTES and OWASP and develops a guide for conducting a security audit, including the testing methodology, rationale for each stage, and evaluation of different approaches. The security recommendations section requires a case study of an IoT security vulnerability, examination of where the security flaw was introduced, assessment of weaknesses in the secure design or audit process, consideration of the resulting security impact, and recommendations for improvement. The report should be written for a technical audience, particularly the client’s software development team, and should use appropriate structure, technical language, diagrams where useful, and APA referencing. The organisational strategy and strategic change proposal should be included in appendices and referenced within the main report. The assessment is worth 30 credits and has a maximum word count of 4,500 words, with the main sections weighted across organisational change, secure design, security auditing, security recommendations, and report structure.
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Cyber Security / Internet of Things / Connected Systems
4,500 words
Security Evaluation for Connected Systems: IoT Strategy, Secure Design, Security Auditing and Organisational Change
This Security of Connected Systems assessment requires students to act as an external IoT Security and Scaling Strategist for a rapidly expanding Coventry-based technology startup specialising in connected devices and smart energy-monitoring systems. The client intends to scale its operations and enter new markets and therefore requires both organisational-change guidance and a comprehensive evaluation of its cybersecurity posture. 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… The report combines business strategy with technical cybersecurity analysis. Students must review different secure design and development methodologies, compare their strengths and weaknesses, and recommend an appropriate approach for integrating security into the client's IoT software-development lifecycle. 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… A major component of the assessment focuses on organisational change strategy. Students examine the internal and external factors driving organisational growth, develop a comprehensive strategy for achieving the client's business objectives, and explain how that strategy should be implemented and monitored. The report must also critically evaluate relevant change-management theories and models and address the complexities of leading and managing strategic transformation. This section carries 35% of the marks and is allocated approximately 2,000 words. 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… The Security Audit Strategy section requires students to design a guide for auditing the client's connected system. Different approaches, including methodologies such as PTES and OWASP, should be compared and evaluated. Students must explain each stage of the selected testing methodology and justify why the individual steps are required. 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… The final technical component applies these principles to an IoT vulnerability case study. Students research a real vulnerability in an IoT device, explain where the security flaw was introduced, identify weaknesses in the secure-design or audit process, assess the resulting security impact and propose appropriate corrective actions. 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… Overall, the coursework integrates IoT cybersecurity, secure software development, security auditing, vulnerability analysis, organisational strategy and strategic change management. The marking scheme allocates 35% to organisational-change strategy, 20% each to secure design and development, security auditing and security recommendations, and 5% to report structure. 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… Important: the brief states that it is for Coventry University Group students' own use and must not be passed to third parties or posted on a website. 38f2fba9a933f212c9e46e8cc591cf2… So use an original public summary like the one above, but do not upload the original brief itself.
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