BSc (Hons) Computer Science with

Network Security
Cohort: BCNS/18A/FT

Examinations for 2019 / Semester 1

Resit Examinations for BCNS/17B/FT

MODULE: Data and Network Security I

MODULE CODE: SECU2123C

Duration: 2 hours 30 mins

Instructions to Candidates:

1. Answer all 4 questions.

2. Questions may be answered in any order but your answers must
show the question number clearly.
3. Always start a new question on a fresh page.
4. The use of electronic calculator is permitted.
5. Total marks to be scored: 100

This question paper contains 4 questions and 4 pages.

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Data and Network Security I (SECU2123C) SITE/June 2019 Sem 1
QUESTION 1: (25 MARKS)

Data security is not as simple as it might first appear. New threats, vulnerabilities and
risks are emerging with the advancement of technology.

(a) Define the below terms:

(i) Threat; (2 Marks)
(ii) Vulnerability; (2 Marks)
(iii) Risk. (2 Marks)

(b) In October 2016 Dyn Domain Name System (DNS) was attacked by botnets
called ‘Mirai’. This attack affected numerous online services. Explain how botnet
attacks work. Illustrate your answer with the use of a diagram. (9 Marks)

(c) Phishing and Pharming are two popular methods used by hackers to harvest
usernames and passwords. Define both terms. (6 Marks)

(d) Trojan horses are software which conceal malicious payloads while appearing to
perform legitimate actions. What can these payloads do to your computer?
(4 Marks)

QUESTION 2: (25 MARKS)

Access control is a protection mechanism used to control which entity can have
access to a specific resource.

(a) In order to use MCB Juice, a user has to use his/her mobile application to sign-in.
Assume the user is able to sign-in using his/her fingerprint. While doing a
transaction (e.g sending money to someone), the user has to input a PIN and
depending on the amount being sent, he/she will receive a code (unique for each
transaction) via sms, which will be required to complete the transaction.

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Data and Network Security I (SECU2123C) SITE/June 2019 Sem 1
 (i) Is this a single-factor or multi-factor authentication? (1 Mark)

(ii) List the authentication mechanism being used while:

1. Providing finger print; (1 Mark)
2. Input of PIN; (1 Mark)
3. Receiving SMS. (1 Mark)

(iii) What is the code received by SMS called? (1 Mark)

(b) (i) Define the Principle of Least Privilege (POLP). (3 marks)

(ii) List five (5) benefits of POLP. (5 marks)

(c) What are the main differences between a Mandatory Access Control (MAC) and
Discretionary Access Control (DAC)? (8 Marks)

(d) The Bell-LaPadula Model (BLM) has three rules. The 2nd rule states that a
subject at a given security level must not write to any object at a lower security
level (no write-down). According to you, why is this rule important? (4 marks)

QUESTION 3: (25 MARKS)

(a) Decrypt the below Caesar cipher. Show your workings.

D FKDLQ LV QR VWURQJHU WKDQ LWV ZHDNHVW OLQN (4 Marks)

(b) Encrypt the below Playfair Cipher using the Key: THANOS. Show your workings.
THE HARDEST CHOICES REQUIRE THE STRONGEST WILLS (9 marks)

(c) What is the difference between Steganography and conventional

Cryptography? (2 Marks)

(d) PGP is known as a hybrid cryptosystem. Explain how PGP encryption works.
(10 Marks)

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Data and Network Security I (SECU2123C) SITE/June 2019 Sem 1
QUESTION 4: (25 MARKS)

(a) A public key digital signature provides authentication, integrity and non-
repudiation. Explain how this is achieved. (6 Marks)

(b) Calculate the public (e, n) and private (d, n) RSA keys, given the values of the
primes are p=29, q=31 and choosing e=11. Show all your workings. (10 marks)

(c) (i) Ciphers can be classified into two groups: block ciphers and stream ciphers.
According to you which cipher is better for voice transmission and why. (5 marks)

(ii) How can block ciphers ensure that identical blocks/messages encrypted on
the same day do not produce identical ciphertext? (4 marks)

***END OF QUESTION PAPER***

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Data and Network Security I (SECU2123C) SITE/June 2019 Sem 1