CISS 125 Computer and Information Security Fall 2024 Prof Robert Ekblaw Final Project Information Description You will create four encrypted files on a shared drive. Each file will be encrypted with a different encryption scheme or method. Then, a fellow student will access the shared drive and attempt to decrypt the files to obtain the information contained within them. You will also be attempting to decrypt and read the four files created by that fellow student in the same shared drive. Your four file types will be: 1. A text file. This can be created using any text editor (like WordPad or Note). The data contained will be some form of a list, but you can decide what that list is (no hints for your fellow student!). An example of this type of file might be a list of authorized usernames. 2. A spreadsheet or table-formatted file that contains both text and numerical information. It does not have to be created in a spreadsheet program (like Excel), but when the file opens, it should display the information in a table structure. It should contain at least three columns and several rows. DO NOT USE ACTUAL DATA, but invent your own "dummy" data. An example of this type of file would be a list of credit card information (cardholder name, account number, Expiration date, VIN code). 3. A log file. This would be a large file where each line has a similar format. You can create the file by copying and pasting, just remember to change some values in each line. 4. A document that simulates some report. You can use a document you already have (like an old homework assignment), but remember to remove any sensitive information. The document can be written in a word processing program (like Word or Pages) or some other app, but it cannot be simple text. It should contain formatted data like a report would have, with headings and paragraphs. Encryption Each of the above four files will be encrypted. You will use a different encryption algorithm for each file. Nobody else (except for me) will know the encryption algorithm used, so it would be just like a hacker attempting to obtain information from files stored on a server. There are various free tools available for downloading that helps encrypt files. Please do NOT ask me for suggestions, as the "best" tool will vary based upon the operating system, current upgrades, and other system configuration variables on your particular computer, so any "advise" I give will be conditional at best. Submission There are two different time frames for deliverables. You will create a short 1-2 page proposal before completing the entire project. • Proposal: This will be a 1-2 document where you describe the four files you will create and what encryption algorithm you will be using for each file. You do not have to create the files at that point, but you will need to describe their general structure. If you decide to change the file format or change the encryption algorithm between the proposal and your final project, make sure to note that in the document you will produce in the next deliverable. The proposal is due on Fri Nov 15th at 11:00 PM • Project: You will be submitting ten items in your Final Project: a copy of the four files in UNENCRYPTED form (in other words, copies of the files before you ran them through your encryption algorithm), a document that describes why you chose the encryption algorithms you did and the process you went through to encrypt the files, and another document that describes the process when you attempted to decrypt the other student's files. You will also include four attachments, which will be the results of your decryption (I will be comparing them against the originals provided to me by the other student). Note that all of these attachments should be properly labeled so that I can distinguish them. Your submission is due on Wed Dec 18th at 11:00 PM. Timeline Since another student will be attempting to "break into" your encrypted files, the file creation part of the project needs to be complete before the deadline. Remember that YOU will also be attempting to read the other student's files, so that gives you time to focus on that. Below are the main deadlines for the deliverables of this project: Nov 15th- proposal due Dec 11th - complete all encryption and upload the four files to the shared drive Dec 17th complete all work to submit your Final Project Shared Drive We will use a private shared folder on Dropbox. You will be send an invitation containing a link to the Dropbox folder. Use that link to access the folder.