Intro to Computer Security Homework 1: Rational Paranoia
For each scenario below, imagine that you are in charge of security.
Apply the security mindset to answer these questions:
What assets are important for you to protect?
What security threats will you choose to defend against?
What countermeasures can you justify, in terms of costs and benefits?
Answer each of the above in the form of a bulleted list, with brief justifications or explanations
as necessary. State any critical assumptions you decide to make. Your grade will be based on the
thoroughness, realism, and thoughtfulness of your analysis.
1–3. Pick three of the following scenarios. (If you answer them all, we’ll drop the highest score.)
(a) You are developing and deploying a self-checkout system for Kroger.
(b) You oversee the football stadium at a Big Ten school.
(c) As director of the NSA, you set procedures for hiring new employees.
(d) You are grading homework submissions for a class of 100+ students.
(e) As the recently-hired CISO of Sony, you set intellectual property protection procedures.
4. Choose another scenario from everyday life that we haven’t discussed in class.
Your choice may be directly related to computer security, but it doesn’t have to be.
Submission Template 2
1. {Checkout|Stadium|NSA|Grading|Sony} Scenario
Assumptions:
explain_your_assumptions
Assets:
- Asset - brief_explanation
- Asset - brief_explanation
...
Threats:
- Threat - brief_explanation
- Threat - brief_explanation
...
Countermeasures:
- Countermeasure - brief_justification
- Countermeasure - brief_justification
...
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2. {Checkout|Stadium|NSA|Grading|Sony} Scenario
...
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3. {Checkout|Stadium|NSA|Grading|Sony} Scenario
...
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4. Original Scenario
explain_your_scenario_and_assumptions
Assets:
...
Threats:
...
Countermeasures:
...
