Student Assignment Brief

This document is intended for Coventry University Group students for their own use in
completing their assessed work for this module. It must not be passed to third parties or
posted on any website. If you require this document in an alternative format, please contact
your Module Leader.

Contents:
• Assignment Information
• Assignment Task
• Marking and Feedback
• Assessed Module Learning Outcomes
• Assignment Support and Academic Integrity
• Assessment Marking Criteria

The work you submit for this assignment must be your own independent work, or in the case of a
group assignment your own groups’ work. More information is available in the ‘Assignment Task’
section of this assignment brief.

Assignment Information
Module Name: Secure Computing Systems

Module Code: 7018SCN

Assignment Title: Coursework

Assignment Due: 20th April 2026

Assignment Credit: 30

Word Count (or equivalent): 2000

Assignment Type: Cw

Percentage Grade (Applied Core Assessment). You will be provided with an overall grade between
0% and 100%. You have one opportunity to pass the assignment at or above 40%.

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assessed work for this module. It must not be passed to third parties or posted on any website. Page 1 of 7
Assignment Brief
For this assessment, you will act as a security engineer tasked with building a portfolio of
custom, command-line security tools. You must demonstrate that you can secure software,
detect network threats, and analyse malware using your own scripts.

Task 1: Secure Software Development (Authentication)

Developers often leave hardcoded passwords or weak cryptographic functions in their
applications. Your first task is to build a secure command-line authentication script in Python
that fixes these common pitfalls.

Requirements:
● Secure Storage: The script must take a user's password, generate a random 16-byte
salt, and hash them together using SHA-256 before storing the result. You must not use
outdated algorithms like MD5.
● Complexity Enforcement: Write a function using regular expressions to reject any
password that is under 12 characters, lacks a number, or lacks a special symbol.
● Brute-Force Defence: Implement an artificial time delay (e.g., a 2-second freeze) on
failed login attempts to mathematically destroy the viability of automated dictionary
attacks.

Assesses Learning Outcomes: 1, 2.

Task 2: Threat Detection & Mitigation (SIEM Lite)

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems are essentially massive scripts
that read text files, search for patterns using regular expressions, and count anomalies. You
will build a custom "SIEM Lite" tool to parse a chaotic server log file and detect an ongoing
attack.

Requirements:
● Data Parsing: Create a Python script that reads a simulated Linux [Link] or network
traffic CSV file.
● Regex & Extraction: Use regular expressions to extract the IP addresses of attackers
generating "Failed password" errors or massive traffic spikes.
● Dynamic Alerting: Do not hardcode your alert thresholds. The script must accept the
alert limit as a command-line argument (using [Link]), allowing a responder to
change sensitivity on the fly.
● Data Export: The script must export the final list of identified malicious IP addresses
into a structured JSON file so it can be ingested by a firewall.

Assesses Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3.

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Task 3: Malware Analysis & Digital Forensics
Analysing malware safely requires strict procedures. You must build a static analysis and
forensic tool that inspects a suspicious file without accidentally executing it or crashing your
own machine.

Requirements:
● Safe Hashing: Write a function that calculates the SHA-256 hash of a file to establish a
digital fingerprint. It must read the file in small chunks (e.g., 4096 bytes) so it does not
crash the system's memory when scanning massive files.
● Signature Checking: The script must compare the generated hash against a Python
list of "known bad" signatures.
● Safe Quarantine: If a match is found, the script must use the shutil module to
physically move the malicious file into an isolated QUARANTINE_VAULT directory
rather than just renaming it.
● Forensic Extraction: If the file is an image, use the Pillow library to extract and print
any hidden EXIF metadata (specifically GPS coordinates) left behind by the attacker.

Assesses Learning Outcomes: 2, 3, 5.

Task 4: The Report

Your repository proves you have the technical skills, but security professionals operate
within strict legal boundaries. You must submit a 500-word report via Aula.

Requirements:
● Repository Link: Clearly provide the working URL to your code repository at the top of
the report.
● Summary: Briefly summarise the purpose of the tools you built in the repository.
● Legal & Ethical Context: Critically discuss the legal implications of using the
penetration testing tools you studied (such as Nmap and Metasploit) without obtaining a
strict "Rules of Engagement" document. You must reference relevant legislation, such
as the UK Computer Misuse Act.
● Compliance: Briefly explain how the secure authentication tool you built in Task 1
helps an organisation comply with data protection laws like GDPR and standards like
ISO27001.

Assesses Learning Outcomes: 3, 4, 5.

Submission Instructions:
You must submit a portfolio of practical tasks organised as a code repository on
[Link] The repository must contain the code for the three tasks outlined,
along with clear documentation (a README file) explaining how to run your tools. You must

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add Jeffrey Ting (ae2851@[Link]) to the repository so that I can mark it. If you don’t
add me, you will score zero.

Alongside the repository, you must also submit a report (500 words) summarising the
contents and addressing the legal and ethical context of your work, via Aula.

Marking and Feedback

How will my assignment be marked?
The assignment will be assessed using the grading rubric. For each criteria the rubric is cumulative
which means you need to achieve the requirements of lower grades before you can be awarded the
higher ones.

How will I receive my grades and feedback?

When the marks are released, you will be provided with:

1. A breakdown of marks you received for each part of the rubric.

2. Feedback explaining this decision indicating why you missed the higher grade.

What will I be marked against?

Details of the marking criteria for this task can be found at the bottom of this assignment brief.

Assessed Module Learning Outcomes

The Learning Outcomes for this module align to the marking criteria which can be found at the end of
this brief. Ensure you understand the marking criteria to ensure successful achievement of the
assessment task. The following module learning outcomes are assessed in this task:
1. Critically identify, analyse, and categorize different types of security threats and
vulnerabilities across networks, cloud environments, and physical infrastructures.
2. Expertly implement, configure, and manage advanced security tools, devices, and
measures (digital and physical) to secure systems.
3. Evaluate and apply advanced technological solutions, processes and standards (such as
ISO27001/27002) for the detection, management, and investigation of security incidents.
4. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and critical awareness of the legal, ethical, and
professional issues involved in network security and incident response.
5. Critically review, analyse and synthesize current and emerging research and
technological advances in cyber security and incident response.

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Assignment Support and Academic Integrity
If you have any questions about this assignment please see the Student Guidance on Coursework for
more information.

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar:

You are expected to use effective, accurate, and appropriate language within this assessment task.

Academic Integrity:
The work you submit must be your own, or in the case of groupwork, that of your group. All sources of
information need to be acknowledged and attributed; therefore, you must provide references for all
sources of information and acknowledge any tools used in the production of your work, including
Artificial Intelligence (AI). We use detection software and make routine checks for evidence of
academic misconduct.

Definitions of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and collusion can be

found on the Student Portal. All cases of suspected academic misconduct are referred for
investigation, the outcomes of which can have profound consequences to your studies. For more
information on academic integrity please visit the Academic and Research Integrity section of the
Student Portal.

Support for Students with Disabilities or Additional Needs:

If you have a disability, long-term health condition, specific learning difference, mental health
diagnosis or symptoms and have discussed your support needs with health and wellbeing you may be
able to access support that will help with your studies.

If you feel you may benefit from additional support, but have not disclosed a disability to the
University, or have disclosed but are yet to discuss your support needs it is important to let us know
so we can provide the right support for your circumstances. Visit the Student Portal to find out more.

Unable to Submit on Time?

The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which
mean that you cannot submit your assessment by the deadline or sit a scheduled exam. If you think
this might be the case, guidance on understanding what counts as an extenuating circumstance, and
how to apply is available on the Student Portal.

Administration of Assessment
Module Leader Name: Jeffrey Ting

Module Leader Email: ae2851@[Link]

Assignment Category: Coursework

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assessed work for this module. It must not be passed to third parties or posted on any website. Page 5 of 7
Attempt Type: Main attempt

Component Code: Cw

Assessment Marking Criteria

Task & Fail (0-39%) Pass (40-59%) Merit (60-69%) Distinction (70-
Learning 100%)
Outcomes

Task 1: Secure
Code fails to Code runs but is Correctly Flawless
Authentication
execute. basic. Uses implements SHA- implementation.
(25%)
Uses plain SHA-256 but 256 with unique Uses advanced
text or struggles with 16-byte random key derivation
broken proper salting salts. Solid regex functions (e.g.,
hashing like implementation. complexity filter. pbkdf2_hmac).
Assesses LO1, MD5. No Basic regex Implements a Code handles
LO2. password used for basic time delay user input safely
complexity complexity. against brute- and handles
enforced. forcing. exceptions
gracefully without
crashing.

Task 2: SIEM
Fails to Extracts some Successfully Highly efficient
Lite (25%)
parse the data but uses regex parsing.
log file. hardcodes file ([Link]) to Implements
Cannot paths and alert extract IPs. Uses dynamic
extract IP limits. Uses [Link] for thresholds
Assesses LO1, addresses. basic string dynamic cleanly with type
LO2, LO3. Does not splitting instead thresholds. checking.
output of robust regex. Successfully Handles missing
structured JSON export is exports to JSON. files gracefully.
data. broken. JSON export is
perfectly
structured for
firewall ingestion.

This document is intended for Coventry University Group students for their own use in completing their
assessed work for this module. It should not be passed to third parties or posted on any website.
 Task 3:
Fails to hash Hashes files but Uses chunking Flawless, crash-
Malware &
files safely. loads the entire (e.g., 4096 bytes) proof file
Forensics
Cannot file into RAM at for safe hashing. traversal
(30%)
isolate once (risk of Uses shutil to ([Link]).
malicious crashing). move files to a Includes a safety
files. Does Renames files quarantine vault. whitelist to avoid
not extract instead of Successfully deleting system
Assesses LO2, any EXIF physically isolates GPS files. Beautifully
LO3, LO5. data. moving them. tags from Pillow extracts and
Extracts raw, EXIF data. formats GPS
unformatted coordinates.
EXIF data.

Task 4:
Report is Purely Good critical Exceptional,
Executive
missing, descriptive. awareness. cynical analysis
Report (20%)
wildly Mentions the UK Clearly explains of the legal
over/under Computer why tools like landscape.
the 500- Misuse Act but Nmap are legally Understands that
word limit, or offers no critical dangerous compliance does
Assesses LO3, fails to thought on rules without scoping. not equal
LO4, LO5. mention of engagement. Links technical security.
legal Basic mention of implementations Perfectly
frameworks. GDPR. back to synthesises
ISO27001 technical facts
compliance. with legal
realities (e.g.,
GDPR breach
notification
timelines).

Guidance Notes
● The Repository: If you fail to provide a working link to your code repository, or add me (Jeffrey
Ting ae2851@[Link]), you cannot pass the technical components.
● The Word Count: The report is 500 words. Security professionals must learn to be concise.

● Code Plagiarism: You have been given plenty of sample code during the labs. Similarities to lab
scripts is expected, but you must adapt those scripts to solve the specific assessment problems.
If you just submit the exact bad_login.py or [Link] files from the lab without modifications,
then that specific task would be a fail.

This document is intended for Coventry University Group students for their own use in completing their
assessed work for this module. It should not be passed to third parties or posted on any website.