Group Presentation Papers and Presentations

Cryptography

Topic:   PGP has been used for more than a decade now, but many people are unaware of the rich and tangled history of the system. Neither are they aware of how the algorithm works, the underlying technologies, or what the future holds for PGP. This paper will attempt to address all of those points to give readers a good idea of how PGP works, how its development has continued since its original creation, and the impact that PGP has had both in its current uses and the potential uses for public key cryptography in the future.
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Database Security

Topic:  While developing any application, developers must keep in mind the language s inherent vulnerabilities. For an SQL database, SQL injection is that ever-present risk on a good developer s mind. SQL injection is a serious security vulnerability used to retrieve or modify unauthorized information. It exploits the same flexibility that makes the databases so powerful, especially in versatile web applications. However, due to recent awareness of the problem and better industry-wide coding practices, most forms of the attack are easy to protect against. This paper will progress through the development of a SQL injection attack and will include the detection of vulnerabilities. It will then introduce various forms of the attack, retrieving and editing specific desirable information. With a basic understanding of the threat, the paper will debrief the user on the current solutions and preventative measures to secure a SQL Database.
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Internet Security

Topic:   Common wisdom says that the Internet is a decentralized network, possessing enough redundancy to route traffic from any location to another. The events of the last few years have shown us that this assumption is simply not true. As technology improves each year, attackers have developed more knowledge and better tools able  to knock the entire Internet offline.  (InfoWorld) The technological sophistication available to defenders of our infrastructure and those who wish to attack it, have demonstrated that the Internet as a whole is vulnerable to attack. The main purpose of this paper is to project the effects of a  worst case scenario  type attack on our critical infrastructure. We have decided to focus on four main areas of Internet Security: history of attacks, Internet structure, attack and defense tactics, and takedown scenarios.
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Malicious Code

Topic:   Viruses, either helpful or damaging, are conceived by their authors for many differing reasons. Whether for academic reasons, money, fame, protection, or just an attempt to illegally gain access to unauthorized information, all computer viruses bring with them side effects that are typically damaging. By exploring these motivations and studying the impacts of various viruses, it is possible to gain insight into the not so evident reasons for their creation as well as what side effects have occurred as a result of their release.
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Wireless Network Security

Topic:   Wireless networks are becoming more ubiquitous every year, but they face a unique security hurdle: the fact that the link layer is impossible to secure. Anyone within range can sniff the packets in a wireless network. This paper analyzes WEP, WPA, and 802.11i and how each security mechanism fails or achieves its objectives. Recommendations on securing a local area network are also made. Finally, a case study of the Georgia Tech Local Area Wireless/Walkup Network is explored through the security methods it implements and how those methods relate to the previously mentioned security techniques. Two sections are included at the end to explain the many acronyms used throughout the paper and the references used in the paper.
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Legal Aspects of Information Security

Topic:     Encryption is the process of encoding a message so that its meaning is not obvious  (Pfleeger 36). While seemingly simple, this technology has become a contentious issue around the world. With the advent of mass communication technology, encryption flourished as a way to keep otherwise public communications private. In the Internet age, remote banking and electronic commerce demand the use of encryption technology to protect the identity and finances of those involved in the transactions. In spite of the benefits to society, many governments around the world seek to control the use and distribution of this technology to both protect national interests and to aid in law enforcement.
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Program Security

Topic:   Program Security has been a concern in the computing world for the more than thirty years. It first became a topic that was explored and studied in the early 1970s ( History of Computer Security ). One of the earliest known documents concerning Program Security was written by James Anderson in 1972 and presented the original guidelines for computer security. It is interesting that this paper described methods for auditing and logging user activity, monitoring and conducting surveillance, as well as intrusion detection; all of which are aspects of modern day program security (Anderson 1972). The final report of Anderson s early work was published in 1980 and proposed ways to improve both surveillance and auditing of computer systems (Anderson 1980).
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