Last Updated: 2015-11-12 Thu 10:29

CS 100 HW 6: Term Paper Proposal

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Table of Contents

1 Instructions

  • This is an individual assignment: you must do your own work and may not share or compare answers with other students. If you are struggling, ask questions on Piazza, seek help from the TA or professor, and review the class notes and tutorial links provided.
  • Do your work in an acceptable electronic format which are limited to the following
    • A Microsoft Word Document (.doc or .docx extension)
    • A PDF (portable document format, .pdf)

    You may work in other programs (Apple Words, Google Docs, etc.) but make sure you can export/"save as" your work to an acceptable format before submitting it.

  • Submit your work to our Blackboard site.
    • Log into Blackboard
    • Click on CS 100->HW Assignments->HW 6
    • Press the button marked "Attach File: Browse My Computer"
    • Select your file
    • Click submit on Blackboard
  • Make sure the HW Writeup has your information in it: 
    CS 100 HW 6 Writeup
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2 Problem 1: Security Privacy Upgrades

Many tradeoffs between security, privacy, and convenience are at play as software systems store vital but sensitive information. Practical skills for citizens of the 21st century include the following:

  • Recognize when a software system is more or less secure
  • Be able to change the settings between secure and insecure when there is a choice
  • Reason about the advantages and disadvantages of each mode and select an appropriate option In this

In this problem, you will seek to upgrade your personal computing security in 2 ways. You are free to choose an area to explore to upgrade your security

By the end of it you will be able to exercise more control or use a new tool to increase your security or privacy and explain why doing so is or is not a good idea.

Below is a list of some trade-offs relating to computer systems which you probably use. The Secure/Private column lists a way that software can work or a skill that you might possess which is more secure or private than the alternative listed in the Insecure/Public column.

Tradeoff Secure / Private Insecure / Public
Login to personal computing device (laptop, phone, etc) Password required Automatic, no password
Encrypted Files You can choose to create a file that is password encrypted using a tool such as GnuPG All your files are unencrypted
Hard Drive Whole hard drive is Encrypted Whole hard drive Unencrypted
Data Backup You back up your hard drive regularly on another drive or web service You do not regularly back up your data
Web Site Logins Manual, log in each time Automatic, browser remembers passwords
Sending E-mail You can send E-mail encrypted or have a public key associated to verify you as the sender No encryption or public key identification used
Home Wireless Access Your wireless router requires a password for access Your wireless router is open and requires no log in
Firewall A firewall to prevents unauthorized connections to your computer No firewall set up
Anti-virus Anti-virus software running None set up
Web Passwords You use a passwrd manager such as LastPass to generate random passwords for web sites You use the same password on many web sites
Web form information (address, credit card) Re-type information every time Info is saved by browser, automatically filled in
Mobile Phone GPS Location Your phone does not reveal your physical location to your service provider Your physical location is revealed for use by applications
Online Financial information You re-type credit card and bank account information for each transaction An online company such as Amazon or Mint saves credit card and bank accounts
Online Privacy You can use a tool to determine which online advertisers or third-party sites are notified of your visit to web sites You do not have knowledge of any tools which reveal when advertisers are watching.

Select two ways to upgrade your security which you currently do not know how to do. For instance, your laptop might already be password protected but you don't know how to change this so that you can login without a password. Research how to do so and discuss below. If you already know how to change the password settings on your personal computer, you might research how to encrypt single files using a software tool you download. You are also free to choose something not on the list above to explore so long as you clear it with your instructor.

Make sure to track any sources such as web tutorials or instruction manuals you find useful in exploring your security upgrades.

After finishing the two different security upgrades, answer the following questions.

Security/Privacy Upgrade 1

  1. What security/privacy did you upgrade?
  2. Give a detailed set of instructions on how to change settings to the secure/private mode. These instruction should pass the "parent" test: if your mother or father had the same computer as you were working on, she or he should be able to follow the instructions to change the settings.
  3. Include references sources you used such as online tutorials or built-in help manuals. Put these instructions into your own words; do not copy and paste them. If you figured out how to change the settings without using outside sources, say so and comment on how difficult the process was.
  4. What are at least two advantages of using the insecure/public mode?
  5. What are at least two advantages of using the secure/private mode?
  6. Now that you have learned how to change between the secure and insecure modes, describe what mode your software or system was in initially and what mode you decided to leave it in, and explain why you made that choice.

Security/Privacy Upgrade 2

  1. What security/privacy did you upgrade?
  2. Give a detailed set of instructions on how to change settings to the secure/private mode. These instruction should pass the "parent" test: if your mother or father had the same computer as you were working on, she or he should be able to follow the instructions to change the settings.
  3. Include references sources you used such as online tutorials or built-in help manuals. Put these instructions into your own words; do not copy and paste them. If you figured out how to change the settings without using outside sources, say so and comment on how difficult the process was.
  4. What are at least two advantages of using the insecure/public mode?
  5. What are at least two advantages of using the secure/private mode?
  6. Now that you have learned how to change between the secure and insecure modes, describe what mode your software or system was in initially and what mode you decided to leave it in, and explain why you made that choice.

3 Problem 2: Familiarity with Term Paper

The remainder of this assignment deals with the Term Paper you will write for the class and is intended to get you started thinking about your paper topic. The Term Paper Topic is worth 10% of your overall grade. It requires you to gain familiarity with the expectations for the paper and begin planning for it.

The Term Paper Specification describes what to write in your term paper and how it will be evaluated.

Term Paper Buffer Credit describes how you can gain some additional credit on the term paper by finishing an early draft and reviewing it with someone else.

Answer the following questions about the term paper so that it is clear you are familiar with the expectations. Correct answers to each question are in the range of 1-2 sentences.

  1. How long should the term paper be?
  2. How many references are required and what kind of reference are they?
  3. Describe a specific way to get buffer credit on the term paper?
  4. Is it possible to get more than 100% on the term paper?
  5. Should the paper be double-spaced or single-spaced?
  6. How much weight does the quality of your writing carry for the term paper?
  7. Should the term paper have a bibliography in it?
  8. Give the web address of a sample paper which uses a citation style you are encouraged to adopt for the paper.
  9. List something specfic that, if it were missing from your discussion of Technical Details, you would lose credit.
  10. Give an example of a type of high-quality source that you could use for your paper.

4 Problem 3: Paper Proposal

Some discussion and examples of term paper topics are described in the term paper specification. This is by no means an exhaustive list but it should be instructive in terms of the scope of the paper: some technical detail is required, impact on humans should be described, and the topics should not be too broad to fit in the paper length.

Describe in a paragraph what computing area you plan to write about for your term paper. Make sure to include what specific topics you will be describing in your chosen area.

Describe in a second paragraph why you are picking this area. Do you have some personal experience with the computing area? Is it relevant to you major in some way? Did we discuss something in class that piqued your curiousity?

5 Problem 4: Initial References

For the topics you propose to investigate for you term paper, do some library research and locate

  • One high quality reference you will use
  • and one other reference of any quality level

It is likely that you will start by searching some medium quality references like Wikipedia first but you must find at least one high quality source on your topic. We can provide feedback in the assignment on whether what you found is actually something with enough technical detail to be considered high-quality.

List your two references in a bibliographic entry for this problem. The sample paper mentioned in the the term paper specification has a bibliography with a style you can imitate for this problem.

6 Problem 5: Outline of Term Paper

Outline the structure of your paper and the main topics you plan to investigate. This does not have to be deeply detailed but should include a few key terms which seem worth investigating more deeply. There should be some mention of the historical, technical, and social issues in the outline.

Sample Outline for a Paper on Anonymizing Software

  1. Introduction / description of need for anonymity on the Internet
  2. Onion Routing and TOR Networks
    • Principles of Tor Network
    • Process to send/receive data anonymously
    • Weaknesses in network
  3. Recent uses of Tor network
    • Silk road and criminal organizations
    • Activism during Arab Spring
  4. Conclusion

Sample Outline for a Paper on Image Compression

  1. Introduction / motivation for image compression
  2. JPEG compression
    • Overview of JPEG algorithm
    • Common software for image manipulation/compression
    • Examples of different levels of compression
    • Flaws and disadvantages of JPEG compression
    • Alternative approaches
  3. Prevalence of digital photography
    • Job loss and disappearance of analog film industry
    • Copyright and attribution of digital images
  4. Conclusion

Sample outline for Internet Routing Protocols

  1. Introduction / overview of the internet structure
  2. Basics of Network Routing
    • Communication between two computers
    • Communication between networks
    • Routing algorithms for data packets
    • IP Addresses and internet routers
  3. Business and social aspects of networks
    • Peering agreements allowing packets to pass between networks
    • Net Neutrality, problems with last mile, Comcast v. Netflix
  4. Conclusion

7 What to Hand In

Make sure that your HW Writeup has answers to all the problems above.

  1. Descriptions of two security upgrades with the associated questions answered for each.
  2. Answers to the 10 Term Paper Specification questions
  3. Paragraphs on what computing topic you will write about and why
  4. Two initial references, one high quality and one of any quality
  5. A brief outline of your term paper

Make sure that each problem has its own clearly marked section to make grading easier.

Author: Chris Kauffman (kauffman@cs.gmu.edu)
Date: 2015-11-12 Thu 10:29