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Computer Security: CW1 - Frequently Asked Questions

The following are answers to commonly asked questions about the first coursework. We will add to this FAQ as new questions come up. Please check here before emailing course staff about coursework confusions.

Setup: the /group/teaching/ folder is empty, there is no "cs".

You need to type in the full path. The folder is there, it is just hidden.

Setup: The disk is full and I cannot import a VM.

If you have deleted a prior version of a VM using anything other than the command line, it is likely that a copy of the VM now exists in the /tmp/.Trash directory which is a hidden directory. To see what is taking up the space in /tmp run the following commands:
cd /tmp
du -hS
This will show what files are taking up the space. You can then delete them using the rm command.

A.4: Can I base my decision of "most dangerous security risks" on just the content of the report, or do I need to do extra reading?

All the information you need to make a good decision is avalible in the report. However, you may need to do extra reading if you do not understand all the terms used in the report.

B.1: The webpage will not load.

The website is located on alice not bob. You need to go to:
http:\\alice\

C.2: Does the output of my commands have to be visible on mallet or can I have it output to a log on alice?

The output of the commands must be visible on mallet. The correct answer to this question breaks confidentiality by allowing a user on mallet to construct a list of user names without needing to log into Alice's computer.

C.2: I have access to alice, can I reverse engineer the code on her computer to get the right answer?

The spirit of this assignment is that you know one fact about the code on alice which is the SQL statement listed in the exercise. Nothing is technically stopping you from looking at the code on alice. However, doing so is not necessary and will likely lead you to generate an overly complicated answer.

D: Can I start this problem if I have not finished C?

Yes. Be aware that doing part D incorrectly may cause Alice's website to stop working. If this happens you should use the provided commands in the assignment to re-set the firewall.