Due date: Monday, May 14

Submit your report on hard copy, 8 1/2" x 11" paper. It should be basically in your own words, although it is acceptable to cut & paste pictures, tables, etc.

In this project, and in all of your projects for this course, write for an audience that consists of a mix of technical, and non-technical, people. If you use any word or term that is likely to be unfamiliar to a non-technical person, DEFINE IT! Of course, a portion of your paper (for example, a detailed description of how DES works) might be directed at someone who is familiar with the mathematics that you use. Wherever there is a cost involved, discuss the costs. Wherever a comparison between your topic and a competing program/algorithm/technique is appropriate, discuss the advantages & disadvantages of using yours. If you choose a full program as your topic, discuss how it was obtained, how it was installed, and how it ran.

(A non-technical person, perhaps a company president, should be able to make an intelligent decision as to whether to use this product, after reading your paper.)

Your grade will be based upon level-of-effort, as determined by me, and also how much information an intelligent person who is not a computer expert, would learn from your paper. You are expected to devote 8-10 hours to this project.

Select a topic from the list below. Then tell me which topic you have selected. If it has already been selected by too many students, you will be asked to choose another topic.

Cite ALL of your sources. These sources could include your own personal experience, web sites, journal articles, information from various texts, vendor information, Newsgroups, chats with colleagues, etc. For EACH source, estimate the percent that this source contributed to your paper.

Topics:

1) Firewalls (See note below)

2) Computer Security and the Law

3) Select an appropriate topic of your choice, with permission of instructor

Note: If you choose Firewalls you may discuss either personal firewalls or corporate firewalls. If you choose corporate firewalls (firewalls that protect an entire network or an entire organization), compare the functionality, costs, popularity, options, maintenance, ease of use, etc., for at least 2 different products (from different vendors).

If you choose Personal firewalls, it must be a product that you use! (Now might be a good time to obtain one). Discuss: why you chose this product, how it was obtained, how it was installed, how it was configured, how well it works (and how do you really know if it is doing what you think it is doing), how is it being monitored, how much it costs, and all the options available - even the ones you don't use.