INST 346
Technologies, Infrastructure and Applications
Spring 2018
Assignment H11

First, choose a serious cyber incident that has not been presented by any of the analysis teams. By a "cyber incident" I mean some event that has actually occurred involving networkd systems that people caused, intentionally or unintentionally, in which there were substantial consequences that created harm, costs, or substantial inconvenience to other people. Note that to be substantial the incident need not affect large numbers of people -- there could, for example, be small effects on many people, or large effects on a few people. You might find such incidents in the news, or from Risks Digest, or from Wikipedia, or from various places on the Web that a search for "cyber incident" or "cyberattack" turns up (e.g., CSIS). Note, however, that not everything in Risks Digest is a cyber incident (as that term has been defined here) -- much of what is there is commentary on the consequences of bad design.

Next, write a brief (2-page, single-spaced, normal font) analysis of the incident. Your analysis should address at least the following issues:

• The causes and progression of the incident
• Technical aspects of networked systems that contributed to the incident (e.g., what aspects of systems, networks, or networked systems made this incident possible).
• Aspects of human behavior and human limitations that contributed to the incident (e.g., what is it about people that made this incident possible).
• Interventions that were actually taken to address the immediate problem
• The attack's outcome. This should be explained in such a way that the "substantial consequences" are made clear.
• Changes that would be needed (in technical aspects, in human behavior, or otherwise) to prevent similar incidents in the future. <\ul>

  You may want to draw on multiple sources so as to have the best understanding of the incident on which you will report, but you may not find answers to all of these questions online. This assignment is designed to call for some original thinking on your part.

  You may work with other students for this assignment, but you may no choose the same incident as any other student with whom you work. So it would be possible (and, indeed, a good idea) for two students to meet to discuss each other's analysis of their chosen incidents, but it would not be permissible for two students to choose the same incident and then develop a single analysis together, each turning it in as their own work.

  Submit your homework on ELMS. The limitation to two pages is strict; longer submissions, or submissions using font sizes smaller than 11 point, will receive no credit.

  ---

  Doug Oard
  Last modified: Tue Apr 24 14:16:16 2018