Final Project

The climax of this course is its final project. Among the goals for this project are to apply lessons learned to (relatively) current events in the real world and to ensure that you are now conversant in the same. Toward that end, this project asks you to:

  1. Find an article or blog post from the last twelve months–as via Google News, The Hacker News, Security Week, any of the cybersecurity attack databases we’ve discussed or others, etc–about some real-world failure to preserve privacy or to secure some software, systems, data, or accounts. Feel free to use Ed to both make suggestions for fellow students or solicit ideas from fellow students!
  2. Ensure that you yourself understand the failure and any technology involved, as by reviewing the course’s own material or researching the same via Google, ChatGPT, or the like. (Note that use of ChatGPT or generative AI tools more generally in this way, as a research supplement and tool, is considered reasonable by the course).
  3. Ultimately, record a 7–10-minute video or screencast presentation report in which you not only discuss but explain the failure and any technology involved, concluding with recommendations of how others might avoid the same outcome. You should assume the target audience for this video will be your teaching fellow, rather than someone without prior understanding of some of the lower-level strategies that may have been employed to bring this threat to bear.
    • Students who are uncomfortable presenting on video have the option instead to write a 1,000-word paper covering the same information, but must receive prior approval from the head teaching fellow prior to the proposal deadline to submit a paper in lieu of a video. Please email Doug directly, cc’ing your teaching fellow, to discuss.

The final project has three total milestones. No part of the final project be submitted late under the terms of the course’s lateness policy.

Milestones

Proposal Due 2023-11-29T23:59:00-05:00
Status Update Due 2023-12-08T23:59:00-05:00
Report Due 2023-12-15T23:59:00-05:00

Combining Courses

If taking some other course this semester that has a final project, you are welcome and encouraged to combine this course’s project and that course’s project into one (should that be possible) toward an end of applying lessons learned in CSCI E-159 to some other field, so long as the joint project satisfies this course’s and that course’s expectations. Before pursuing a joint project, though, you must disclose to both courses and receive approval from both courses.

Specifications

Please be advised that extensions on the final project are not granted, except in cases of documented medical or family emergency. Note in particular though that your report is due very late into the Extension School’s term, and the course is therefore limited in how much flexibility it can offer.

Proposal

due by 2023-11-29T23:59:00-05:00

The proposal is your opportunity to receive approval and counsel from the staff before you begin your research.

The staff will either approve your proposal or require modifications on your part for subsequent approval. Your proposal, even if approved, is not binding; you may alter your plan at any point, provided you obtain the staff’s approval for any modifications. Projects submitted without approval will not receive credit.

What to Do

  1. Go to CSCI E-159’s Gradescope page.
  2. Select Final Project: Proposal.
  3. Answer all questions therein.
  4. Be sure, after submitting, to visit Gradescope and confirm that you have a submission on file!

Status Update

due by 2023-12-08T23:59:00-05:00

Not only is the status update intended to keep the staff apprised of your progress, it is an opportunity to keep yourself on track.

What to Do

  1. Go to CSCI E-159’s Gradescope page.
  2. Select Final Project: Status Update.
  3. Answer all questions therein.
  4. Be sure, after submitting, to visit Gradescope and confirm that you have a submission on file!

Report

due by 2023-12-15T23:59:00-05:00

Ultimately due is your report in either video or, only if having received prior approval, paper form. Your final project video should be uploaded to YouTube as Unlisted (not Private, else we won’t be able to view it!), and the Gradescope submission will also ask you to enumerate a list of all sources you used in compiling your report, among a few other questions.

What to Do

  1. Go to CSCI E-159’s Gradescope page.
  2. Select Final Project: Report.
  3. Follow the instructions and answer the questions therein.
  4. Be sure, after submitting, to visit Gradescope and confirm that you have a submission on file!