Report on Contemporary Network Security Issues Assessment

Assignment Overview:

This assessment is aligned to the following learning outcomes of this unit:

ULO 1: Analyse contemporary network security issues and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.

ULO 2: Evaluate a contemporary network for vulnerabilities and implement effective risk reduction strategies.

This assessment requires you to:

1. analyse a scenario with a network security problem or problems;
2. research relevant technologies, vulnerabilities and risks;
3. propose network security controls and strategies to reduce the risks in the given scenario; and
4. communicate your findings and

Scenario:

A large state-wide fire department (TFD) has approximately 1500 administrative and front-line staff who are responsible for carrying out the operations of TFD spread across a head office and operations across the state. In response to a recent audit, TFD has noted challenges such as rapidly changing technology, the increasing risk of cyber security and a requirement for greater governance and reporting accountabilities.

Whilst TFD’s primary purpose, according to the relevant Act, relates to the provision of a Fire Brigade, it has a large operational fleet to prevent, prepare, respond to and recover from diverse emergencies arising from hazards across the state. TFD’s fleet comprises aerial pumpers, urban pumpers, incident control vehicles, general rescue utilities, buses, rescue trucks, tankers, water carriers, flood rescue boats and marine vessels.

TFD has received advice that it may be bound by the Critical Infrastructure Act. Obligations arising from the Act include:

• Developing and maintaining incident response plans
• Undertaking scenario-based exercises
• Conducting vulnerability assessments
• Providing access to system information relating to the functioning of a

TFD has been made aware of cyber incidents that have affected equivalent organisations other states over the past few years including: 1) a company that provides technology to TFD had its systems compromised; 2) an equivalent to TFD in another state became aware of a data breach, which resulted in sensitive information being published on the dark web; 3) an equivalent to TFD in another state reported a problem with data theft via a contractor.

As part of its modernisation programme, TFD is trialling a system that allows for water sources/pumps to be controlled centrally. At present, TFD’s ICT Services Group (located in Corporate Services and reporting to the CFO) is separate from the Operations Group (who manage the aforementioned fleet, associated fire hydrants, pumps and the related network infrastructure) and the IT network is separate from the Operations network. The ICT manager is preparing a business case for Operational Technology to come under IT, as the operation of the network-accessible fire hydrants involves the Internet of Things (IoT) and the ICT manager wants to aggregate the data coming from these devices for reporting purposes. To assist in safely gathering data during fire events, TFD Operations is also trialling UAVs with cameras, controlled by wireless, temperature sensors that use ZigBee to communicate amongst themselves and to a Windows laptop (via WiFi). The latter device acts as the network coordinator. TFD is also trialling remote-controlled robots, similar to the RTE Robot. As these devices are also IoT devices, the ICT manager wishes these devices to be managed by the ICT Service Group.

TFD has asked you to evaluate the cyber posture of the organisation and recommend improvements. You represent one of several firms tendering for the job, so your presentation

must include a realistic budget, both for the initial compliance work and an on-going commitment per annum.

Tasks:

One of your colleagues was asked to prepare this presentation. They chose to use ChatGPT to create the slide deck. Your manager has seen the results (attached) and is concerned about the quality, depth and relevance of the content. Your manager has reassigned the task to you.

Your task is twofold. 1) Write a critique of the existing presentation, noting issues and potential solutions to those issues; and 2) Create a better slide deck and record your presentation of said slides.

The target audience of the presentation is the Board of TFD. The Board consists of the Commissioner and C-suite executives. The CFO sits on the Board. None of the members have a IT background, therefore you should consider a balance between the technical and non- technical aspects of your presentation.

1. Introduce yourself, the client, the purpose of the presentation, and provide an outline of your
2. Identify the most likely threats to which the organisation would be
3. How would you secure the organisation to ensure the identified threats are prevented/mitigated? Your answer should address the following:
   1. What threat(s) is the security control preventing/mitigating?
   2. Explain and justify each security
   3. How would you monitor and ensure that the security control is working?
4. Rank every category of threat from highest to lowest risk and justify your
5. What policy changes or new policies should be in place? You do not need to show or narrate the full You answer should only include the name of the policy, the purpose, and any key considerations.
6. What budget is required to implement your proposed changes? What plans should be in place to migrate the organisation to your changed environment? You do not need to describe a complete implementation plan-an outline will suffice.

Brief Summary of the Assessment Requirements

The assessment requires a comprehensive analysis of a network security scenario focused on the State-wide Fire Department (TFD). The primary objectives are aligned to two key learning outcomes:

• ULO 1: Analyse contemporary network security issues and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.

• ULO 2: Evaluate a contemporary network for vulnerabilities and implement effective risk reduction strategies.

The student must perform the following key tasks:

1. Critically analyse the network security problems faced by TFD based on the scenario.

2. Research relevant technologies, potential vulnerabilities, and associated risks.

3. Propose appropriate network security controls and strategies to reduce identified risks.

4. Communicate findings effectively via a professional slide deck presentation tailored to a non-technical Board of Commissioners and C-suite executives.

5. Include realistic budget estimates for both initial compliance and ongoing annual costs.

6. Provide a high-level migration strategy for implementing proposed security measures.

7. Critique a pre-existing, ChatGPT-generated presentation and improve upon its quality, relevance, and depth.

Assessment Approach by the Academic Mentor: Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Clarify Assessment Requirements

The Academic mentor began by thoroughly reviewing the assessment task and clarifying the purpose:

• Understand that the student needed to balance technical and non-technical content, aiming for clear communication to a high-level non-technical audience.

• Emphasize the importance of providing justified decisions, risk rankings, and realistic budgets.

Step 2: Analyse the Given Scenario

The mentor guided the student to carefully dissect the scenario:

• Focus on TFD’s structure: separation of ICT Services and Operations, IoT devices (UAVs, robots), trialling of remote control systems, and critical infrastructure implications.

• Identify key risks mentioned, such as data breaches, system compromises, and contractor-related threats.

Step 3: Research and Identify Threats

The student was instructed to:

• Conduct research into the types of threats related to IoT devices, wireless communication (ZigBee, WiFi), and system segregation.

• List the most likely threats (e.g., unauthorized access, data theft, malware injection).

• Rank threats by risk level (highest to lowest) with clear justification based on likelihood and impact.

Step 4: Propose Security Controls

The mentor supported the student to:

• Select appropriate security controls that map to each threat (e.g., network segmentation, multi-factor authentication, regular vulnerability assessments).

• For each control, explain:

  • Which threat it prevents or mitigates.

  • Justify why this control is appropriate for TFD.

  • Define how to monitor its effectiveness (e.g., automated intrusion detection, log analysis).

Step 5: Policy Recommendations

The Academic mentor guided the student to focus on policy-level changes by:

• Suggesting key policies such as an "Incident Response Policy," "Data Protection Policy," and "IoT Device Usage Policy."

• Briefly stating the purpose of each and highlighting critical considerations, without elaborating on full policy documents.

Step 6: Budgeting and Migration Plan

The student was directed to:

• Research cost-effective solutions and provide a realistic budget for implementation and annual maintenance.

• Provide a high-level migration plan outline, covering phases such as assessment, pilot deployment, and full integration, without excessive detail.

Step 7: Critiquing the Existing Presentation

The Academic mentor helped the student:

• Identify gaps in the existing ChatGPT-generated slide deck (e.g., lack of depth, overly technical jargon, poor structure).

• Recommend concrete improvements: better structure, simplified language, inclusion of risk rankings, justifications, and a coherent budget.

Step 8: Develop the Improved Slide Deck

• The student structured the improved slides:

  • Introductory slide: self-introduction, client description, purpose of presentation.

  • Threat landscape and risk ranking.

  • Security control proposals with justification and monitoring strategies.

  • Policy recommendations.

  • Realistic budget and high-level migration strategy.

  • Summary and conclusion.

• Slides were designed for clarity, professionalism, and relevance to the target audience.

Step 9: Presentation Recording

The student prepared a concise, non-technical narration that explained the rationale behind each slide in simple terms suitable for the Board.

Outcome Achieved

• A professional, logically structured slide deck that balances technical accuracy with accessible language.

• Well-researched and justified recommendations for mitigating network security risks.

• Realistic budgeting that reflects industry standards.

• Clear identification and ranking of threats with effective, practical security controls.

• Brief but actionable policy recommendations.

• A coherent high-level migration plan.

• A thoughtful critique of the original presentation to highlight gaps and improvements.

Learning Objectives Covered

• ULO 1: Applied critical thinking to analyse network security problems and devise mitigation strategies based on research and scenario context.

• ULO 2: Evaluated vulnerabilities of a modern IoT-enabled operational network, providing risk reduction measures and monitoring strategies.

• Communication Skills: Developed a presentation tailored for a non-technical audience, balancing technical depth with clarity.

• Budgeting and Strategy Planning: Applied practical budgeting and high-level migration planning in alignment with the organisation’s objectives.

This structured, stepwise academic mentoring approach ensured the student delivered a solution that met all requirements while achieving the key learning outcomes.

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