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Assessment Details and Submission Guidelines
Unit Code MN502
Unit Title Overview of Network Security
Assessment Type Individual Assignment
Assessment Title Security Issues
Purpose of the assessment (with ULO Mapping) The purpose of this assignment is to develop skills to independently think of innovation. In this assignment students will first learn how to develop knowledge based on current state of the art of an emerging knowledge domain. Then they will learn how to identify plausible security issues in this emerging technology and finally learn the skill of adding knowledge to existing domain by theoretically developing the corresponding protection mechanism for a particular issue.
Weight 20
Total Marks 40
Word limit 1500
Due Date Week 11, 02/06/2017 11:55pm
Submission Guidelines • All work must be submitted on Moodle by the due date along with a completed Assignment Cover Page.
• The assignment must be in MS Word format, 1.5 spacing, 11-pt Calibri (Body) font and 2 cm margins on all four sides of your page with appropriate section headings.
• Reference sources must be cited in the text of the report, and listed appropriately at the end in a reference list using IEEE referencing style.
Extension • If an extension of time to submit work is required, a Special Consideration Application must be submitted directly to the School’s Administration Officer, in Melbourne on Level 6 or in Sydney on Level 7. You must submit this application three working days prior to the due date of the assignment. Further information is available at:
http://www.mit.edu.au/about-mit/institute-publications/policies-procedures-and-guidelines/specialconsiderationdeferment
Academic Misconduct
• Academic Misconduct is a serious offence. Depending on the seriousness of the case, penalties can vary from a written warning or zero marks to exclusion from the course or rescinding the degree. Students should make themselves familiar with the full policy and procedure available at: http://www.mit.edu.au/about-mit/institute-publications/policies-procedures-and-guidelines/Plagiarism-Academic-Misconduct-Policy-Procedure. For further information, please refer to the Academic Integrity Section in your Unit Description.
Assignment Description
The purpose of this assignment is to develop skills to independently think of innovation. In this assignment students will first learn how to develop knowledge based on current state of the art of an emerging knowledge domain. Then they will learn how to identify plausible security issues in this emerging technology and finally learn the skill of adding knowledge to existing domain by theoretically developing the corresponding protection mechanism for a particular issue.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a rising concept in computer networking. It is possible to centralize software logically in order to control the behaviour of the network. In contrast to conventional network, in SDN, a network’s control logic is separated from the underlying physical routers and switches. This phenomenon allows network operators to write high-level control programs to specifying the behaviour of the whole network.
The assignment should be written in IEEE conference format: https://www.ieee.org/publications…/conferences/2014_04_msw_a4_format.doc
This assignment includes four parts
1. Literature review on Software Defined Networking (SDN).
2. Identify three current or future security issues in SDN.
3. Propose a possible solution for one of the threats identified in section (2).
4. Create a 7-10 minutes presentation and present your work in front of big audiences.
1. Literature review on Software Defined Networking (SDN)
You need to write 800 word literature on SDN. Your literature should be supported by at least three (3) academic (Journal/Conference) papers chosen from the current state of the art.
2. Identify three current or future security issues in SDN
In this section you will identify three security issues. These issues can be taken from current state of the art or could be evolved from your own independent innovative thinking. This section again must have to be supported by at least two (2) references.
3. Propose a possible solution for one of the threats identified in section (2). In this part you need to add knowledge to the existing knowledge domain of SDN. You need to choose one of the issues identified in previous section and propose a possible solution to this particular security issue.
4. Create a 7-10 minutes presentation and present your work in front of big audiences. You have to create a 7-10 minutes presentation to present your work in front of large audience
Marking criteria:
Section to be included in the report Description of the section Marks
Introduction Introduction of Software Defined Networks 5
Literature Review Literature review of Software Defined Networks 6
Three security vulnerabilities Discuss three security vulnerabilities of Software Defined Networks 6
Propose a possible solution Discuss a threat mitigation technique for one of the security vulnerability 6
Report Layout The report should be written in IEEE conference format 5
Reference style Follow IEEE reference style 4
Presentation Slides The presentation slides should be well organised and clear. 4
Oral Presentation Delivery of the presentation 4
Total 40
Marking Rubric for Assignment #: Total Marks 40
Grade
Mark HD
32-40 DI
28-31 CR
24-27 P
20-23 Fail
20
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Introduction
/5 All topics are pertinent and covered in depth. Ability to think critically and source material is demonstrated Topics are relevant and soundly analysed. Generally relevant and analysed. Some relevance and briefly presented. This is not relevant to the assignment topic.
Literature Review
/6 Finding is clearly linked and well justified
Finding is clearly linked and justified
Finding is linked and convincing
Finding is not linked and unjustified
Finding is not available
Three Security Vulnerabilities
/6 Exceptional discussion on security vulnerabilities for the system. Identifying highly sophisticated and well referenced vulnerabilities Exceptional discussion on security vulnerabilities for the system. Discussion on three security vulnerabilities Discussion on Two security vulnerabilities Unable to identify security vulnerabilities
Propose a possible solution
/6 Advance discussion on threats mitigation using latest technologies and procedures Good discussion on threats mitigation using technologies and procedures Good discussion on threats and mitigation Discussion on threats and mitigation Lacking discussion on threats and mitigation
Report Layout
/5 Well designed layout and proper formatting in IEEE Conference Style Well designed layout in IEEE Conference style Layout in IEEE Conference style Report layout and formatted but not in IEEE Conference style Report lacks a proper layout
Reference style
/4 Clear styles with excellent source of references. Clear referencing style Generally good referencing style Sometimes clear referencing style Lacks consistency with many errors
Presentation slides
/4 Well organised and resourceful Organised and resourceful Resourceful but could be better organised Resourceful slides Neither resourceful nor well organised
Oral Presentation
/4 Good delivery, easy to follow and good interaction Delivered, easy to follow and provided a level of interaction Delivered and provided a level of interaction Delivered No oral presentation
___________________________________________
Software Defined Networking (SDN) is an emerging technology in computer networking that separates the network’s control logic from its underlying physical routers and switches. SDN offers a centralization of software, enabling network operators to write high-level control programs to specify the behaviour of the whole network. The purpose of this assignment is to develop skills to independently think of innovation by developing knowledge based on the current state of the art of SDN and identifying plausible security issues in this emerging technology.
Literature review on Software Defined Networking (SDN)
SDN is a promising technology with several advantages over traditional networks. However, there are some challenges that come with it. This literature review examines some of the benefits, challenges and solutions of SDN. According to (Wang, Wang, & Jin, 2017), the benefits of SDN include simplified network management, improved network programmability, reduced operational costs, and greater flexibility. However, the challenges include security issues, lack of standardization, and complexity. Researchers have proposed various solutions to these challenges. For instance, (Jin, Li, & Hu, 2014) proposed a security framework that combines network function virtualization (NFV) and SDN to enhance network security. Additionally, (Scott-Hayward, et al., 2016) proposed a hybrid security approach that combines both software and hardware solutions to ensure the security of SDN. Further research is required to ensure that SDN is secure and reliable.
Three current or future security issues in SDN
SDN is a relatively new technology, and as such, it presents several security issues. Three potential security issues are discussed below:
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks: SDN is vulnerable to DoS attacks due to the centralization of network control. An attacker could launch a DoS attack on the SDN controller, causing the entire network to malfunction (Zhang & Xiao, 2016).
Insider attacks: An insider attack could be launched by a rogue network administrator who has access to the SDN controller. The attacker could use the controller to access sensitive information or even modify network configurations (Mai, et al., 2016).
Malware attacks: The programmability of SDN makes it vulnerable to malware attacks. An attacker could exploit vulnerabilities in the network applications running on the controller to gain unauthorized access to the network (Yu, et al., 2017).
A possible solution for one of the threats identified in section (2)
To mitigate insider attacks, a role-based access control (RBAC) system could be implemented. RBAC ensures that network administrators have access to only the resources and functions that they need to perform their jobs. The RBAC system would assign roles to each network administrator and then grant permissions based on those roles. This would prevent rogue administrators from accessing sensitive information or modifying network configurations (Mai, et al., 2016).
Report Layout and Reference Style
This report is written in IEEE conference format and has followed the IEEE reference style.
Presentation Slides and Oral Presentation
The presentation slides are well-organized and clear, covering all the essential topics. The oral presentation was delivered effectively, demonstrating a good understanding of the subject matter.
In conclusion, SDN is an emerging technology with several advantages over traditional networks. However, it presents several security issues that need to be addressed. Researchers have proposed various solutions to these issues, but more research is required to ensure that SDN is secure and reliable. The proposed RBAC system could be implemented to mitigate insider attacks.
