Assessment 2 takes a more in depth look at a ‘cyber event’ in detail. There are hundreds of cyber events that could be classified as cyber warfare or cyber terrorism. Examples include: Cyber Attacks on Estonia, Cyber Attacks on Georgia, Attacks on Iran Nuclear Program (Stuxnet), Cyber attacks on Saudi Aramco (Shamoon), etc.
For this assessment, select a cyber event and write an essay on the following:
What event was chosen and identify how it is related/regarded as cyber warfare.
Discuss what happened, what motivated the event, what was the response, how was the attack successful, and what could have been improved to prevent the attack.
Rationale
This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:
be able to analyse examples of actual cyber terrorist attacks and to explain their motivations, method of operation, and impacts.
be able to analyse the main types of cyber attacks and the various tactics and strategies used during attacks.
be able to propose security policy, procedural and technical controls to mitigate the threats of different types of cyber attacks and the risks they present.
This assignment is intended to:
Demonstrate an understanding of cyber warfare and cyber terrorism events
Demonstrate an understanding of what made the events successful and identify potential defensive strategies
Marking Criteria
Introduction
The topic is artfully and insightfully introduced, and well informed within the contemporary literature on cyberwar and terrorism.
A summary of what will be discussed in the body of the essay is well-written and clear.
The length of the summary is appropriate, being approximately 10-15% of the overall word count.
Body
Discuss what happened, what motivated the event, what was the response, how was the attack successful, and what could have been improved to prevent the attack.
An appropriate cyber event was select and its type identified.
The selected event is discussed comprehensively and completely and includes the all the required areas of discussion. Events that are similar or related are identified and their inclusion justified.
Arguments and statements are expertly supported using excellent use of the available, contemporary literature, citations, and direct quotes.
The body flows well and is easy to read.
Conclusion
The essay is summarised expertly.
Evaluation of the outcome of the exploration of the topic, its ongoing significance is included.
Insight towards additional study or research that may be needed to enhance understanding of the topic is included.
Presentation & Referencing
Grammar and spelling contains no errors.
Sentence and paragraph structure is accurate and cohesive, and the ideas flow throughout the essay
CSU/IT Masters formatting standards are closely followed
Overall presentation is professional and fastidiously edited, and commensurate with a master’s level submission·
Referencing and citation are properly and judiciously implemented, and a large amount of high-quality literature has been researched
