Research Project 1 Requirements: A Recent E-Commerce Threat

Overview

In this project, you will research a recent threat (discovered within the last 12 months) to the security of an e-commerce operation. You will define and describe the threat including its discovery, history, impact on e-commerce operations, technical features, and risk. Later in the term, in Research Project 2, you will consider and recommend security controls to mitigate the risk involved.

IMPORTANT: Please remember that this threat must be related to e-commerce, which, with very few exceptions, is now a web-based operation.

Project Procedures

Research: You are expected to use credible sources upon which to base your report. In cases when the source is necessary, but credibility is not assured, you must address this issue in the text of your paper. You are required to use APA style for both in-text citations and the Reference section at the end of your paper. You can learn more about APA-style references by clicking the APA tutorial link near the bottom of the Syllabus. You must use a minimum of four sources.

Originality: Although you will be using outside sources for this project--and using citations to indicate where ideas have come from within the sources--all writing must be in your own words. No direct quotations of outside sources are allowed.

Required Elements

• Cover page
• Table of contents
• Presentation of the threat including how the threat was identified, the technical features that characterize the threat, how it works, vulnerabilities it exploits, and so forth
• Diagram depicting the mechanism of attack and exploitation
• Potential or actual consequences including damage to hardware, software, data, personnel, financial losses, and so forth: You should identify the nature of the security compromise (i.e., data confidentiality, integrity, availability).
• Risk assessment based on the concepts presented in the Week 3 Lecture

Deliverables: The minimum length of the paper--not counting the cover page, table of contents, and references--is four double-spaced pages. The maximum length is six pages. Do not submit papers that have less or more pages than specified here. 

Grading Rubrics

CategoryPoints%DescriptionPresentation of the threat2525Include a complete history of the threat including how it was identified, what damage it has caused to date, what vulnerabilities it can exploit, and the nature of the source (criminal, commercial, skilled hackers, unskilled hackers, etc.).Technical description2525Explain the technical features of the vulnerabilities exploited and the mechanism by which the threat achieves its goals.Diagram2020Demonstrate the mechanism of the threat.Presentation3030Writing quality and flow demonstrates a graduate-level writing competency and does not contain misspellings, poor grammar, incorrect punctuation, and questionable sentence structure (syntax errors). There is correct attribution and citation using APA style.Total100100A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.