Purpose: Apply the concepts you′ve learned in Modules 1-7. Tasks with Directions: One of the articles you were assigned to read in Module 7 concerned a ransom demand received by the Flathead Valley School District (in Montana) from an alleged cyber terrorist group, TheDarkOverlord Solutions. Here is an additional article with more information: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/09/21/hackers-holds-entire-school-district-to-ransom/ Read the Naked Security article and then reread the article assigned for Module 7, “Cyber terrorist group outlines ransom in letter to Flathead Valley school.” Here is the link again: https://www.abcfoxmontana.com/news/cyber-terrorist-group-outlines-ransom-in-letter-to-flathead-valley/article_695ea923-ad20-5837-b922-e3677205e691.html Exercise In this assignment, you will apply some of the concepts that you have learned both from the readings and the lectures for Modules 1 – 7 by providing written answers to each of the following five questions. Each question is worth 5 points for a total possible score of 25. Are the actions of the TheDarkOverlord Solutions in this case (hacking into the schools district’s servers and stealing data, sending threatening e-mails to students and parents, and demanding money in exchange for not releasing the personal data and e-mails of students and teachers) an act of cyberterrorism? Explain in a sentence or two why you believe or why you do not believe this is an act of cyberterrorism. Assuming this is not an act of cyberterrorism, what is it? Is it a crime under U.S. law? (Hint: think about the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)). What part or parts of the CFAA would the actions of TheDarkOverlord Solutions violate? (Another hint: look at the summary of the CFAA prepared by Professor Mann – Module 5). What are some possible means by which the TheDarkOverlord Solutions could have accessed the school district’s servers? (Hint: look at some of the types of malware discussed in Module 1 and some of the techniques used to commit fraud discussed in Module 6). If the TheDarkOverlord Solutions released personal information about students and teachers, have they violated the Privacy Act of 1974? Explain in a sentence or two why or why not? What if the TheDarkOverlord Solutions found evidence that a teacher in the Flathead Valley School District had been using school computers to access, download, and store child pornography and they released that information to the public. Would that be a violation of the Fourth Amendment if that information was used by the local authorities to prosecute the teacher? Explain in a sentence or two why or why not? Submission Guidelines Grading Evaluation Criteria In grading this assignment, I will consider the thoroughness and quality of your responses and how you incorporate relevant material covered in the textbook and the lectures. I will also consider whether your work is clear and well-written, with appropriate spelling and grammar.
