Description

Paper Topic: Intrusion Detection System for a Cloud Computing Environment

Paper Rule:

The paper should be 10-12 pages, double-spaced, exclusive of cover, title page, table of contents, endnotes and bibliography. Your paper must use APA formatting with the exception that tables and figures can be inserted at the appropriate location rather than added at the end. All students must upload their papers to Turnitin.com, produce and review and originality report.

Analytical Research Project

The purpose of the Research Project is to develop an in-depth understanding of the intrusion detection and/or prevention technology and the way in which such technology is used to protect specific computing environments against specific threats. To arrive at this understanding, your project may CHOOSE to follow either one of two analytical approaches:

1. Analysis of a tool or technique including functional applicability and limitations

2. Analysis of environmental security requirements and technologies to meet those requirements

Tool-centric Research: Projects of the first type will focus on a specific tool, technique, or method used in intrusion detection or intrusion prevention. Choosing a topic for this type of project will mean selecting the tool you want to research and analyze and developing a research question or thesis statement that your research is intended to answer. The analysis for a tool-centric research project should emphasize the use and application of the tool, technique, or method rather than a simple explanation of its features. If you choose a product or tool with a broad set of capabilities, you may choose to provide an analysis of one or more aspects of the tool. The paper distills fundamental issues, focuses on one available solution, and provides a detailed analysis of both the functional applicability and the limitations of the available solution. In other words, you should explain in your paper the functional purposes and/or security goals the chosen tool is well-suited to address, and also things for which it is not a good choice. You are welcome to choose any type of IDS tool, including network-based, host-based, or wireless products.

Environment-centric Research: The second type of project also looks at intrusion detection and prevention technologies, but adopts an organizational perspective by first defining and analyzing an operating environment, and then identifying and recommending appropriate IDS/IPS technologies. Choosing a topic for this type of project will mean describing a specific computing environment and any operational needs for safeguarding that environment. The analysis for an environment-centric research project should emphasize the threats faced by the organization and assess IDS/IPS technologies in the context of providing protection from those threats. This type of research project mimics the process many real-world organizations go through when selecting IDS/IPS tools (or other types of technologies), in which organizations first specify requirements and then evaluate alternatives to see what technologies best meet their requirements. You may choose to focus on a specific organization (like a company or agency) or on a class of organization (e.g., based on relative size, industry, business model, etc.). It is important that you be able to specify security requirements for the organization or operating environment that you choose for your project.

Regardless of which type of project you choose, your paper must demonstrate graduate-level writing ability and comply with the format requirements of the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition). Careful attention should be given to source citations, a proper listing of references, and the presentation of tables and graphs. Be sure to carefully cite (using correct APA-Style in-line citations) all sources of information in your paper. An adequate literature search will include 3-5 books and/or journal articles (or other scholarly sources), such as those available through the UMUC Online Library. For the topics anticipated for this paper, a search of Internet sources is also expected to be helpful and appropriate.