Assignment 1: Web Server Application Attacks

Due Week 2 and worth 50 points

Web server application attacks are common in today s digital information sharing age. Understanding their implications, vulnerabilities, and safeguards is paramount as our demands on e-Commerce and the Internet use have increased exponentially. The following document titled Guidelines on Securing Public Web Servers , may be used to complete the assignment. Analyze the Justice Department Website article titled How was the Justice Department Web site attacked? .

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:
1. Examine three (3) common Web application vulnerabilities and attacks, and recommend mitigation strategies for each.
2. Describe an architectural design to protect Web servers from a commonly known Denial of Service (DOS) attack.
3. Based on your research from the Justice Department Website:

a. Examine the motivations of this type of attack. b. Identify the tools and techniques that you would have used in this attack and why.
c. Determine if Web server application attacks are as easy to carry out as they seem.
4. Suggest the best mitigation or defense mechanisms against Web server application attacks on federal government Websites in the future.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources outside of the suggested resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student s name, the professor s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Define common and emerging security issues and management responsibilities.
Evaluate an organization s security policies and risk management procedures, and its ability to provide security countermeasures.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in security management.
Write clearly and concisely about the theories of security management using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.