Security & Forensic Application Test & Report

The purpose of the applications test & report assignment is to:

• give you experience with an application that is relevant to the course,

• familiarize you with applications tested by others, and

• improve your ability to analyze and communicate technical information.

After preparing your report and listening to other reports, you should better understand how to properly organize and present information to an audience of accounting professionals. You also should have improved your abilities to work cooperatively, resolve conflicts, and manage your efforts so as to accomplish your team’s goal.

You will form teams  by the end of the second week of the term. Each team must install, configure, and uninstall an application that is relevant to the course, including (but not limited to):

• Software firewalls

• Anti-malware applications (protection against viruses, spyware, popups, etc.)

• Digital signatures

• System/network operations security & monitoring applications (Windows security settings, backup and recovery, emergency recovery, encryption)

• Forensic analysis tools (network monitoring, key stokes capturing).

The application can be one discussed in the course or one used by team members. Each team is responsible for writing an executive summary of the application and delivering a brief presentation in class (< 10 minutes). The summary should be sent to me as an email attachment on the Sunday night before the presentation so that I can post it to the course web site.

Software should only be acquired from reliable sources, such as reputable stores or web sites  such as:

• tucows

• c|net

• PC Magazine

• ZDnet

• Stroud's

• Microsoft

You may also find some useful suggestions for applications and security at freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/.

If you have doubts, ask me FIRST, and NEVER install any application on a networked computer at work or on campus without asking for the network administrator's permission FIRST. Also refer to the Backup and Recovery web page for information about the appropriate steps to take before testing an unknown application.

Grading will be based on the team’s ability to provide a complete and accurate summary to the class and on each individual’s ability to communicate the information in the presentation to the class. Given the specialized nature of the written portion of the assignment it must discuss the application in terms of its lifecycle:

1. Download

2. Install and Configure

3. Operate and Configure- normal operation, problems encountered, help and support available

4. Uninstall- part of MS Remove Software utility or built-in

5. Conclusion- suggestion and concerns.

Click here to see the prescribed web page outline.

I also will use the appropriate grading criteria listed on the Professional Communications Grading Criteria web page. All team members must speak and the tone must be appropriate for an audience of aspiring, reasonably aware information professionals.

Teams

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