BUS 2006 / ACC 2008 Research Proposal Template 2011

Student Name: John McGowan

Student No: 20857870

Degree Programme: Computing

Title of research: Investigating the system unit used within the administration
department in conjunction of security fundamentals and
networking safety.

Theme: Security

Information to be supplied 1. Context & identification of theme:

regarding the research in the
workplace: Investigating the new system and how it affects the
hospital

2. Summary of analysis for topic/issue/problem:

The systems which are currently used by the researcher to

carry out his investigation do not contain a firewall program
also the anti-virus program which is currently installed has
not been updated for months. This system is used within
the volunteer administration department and is also
connected to the hospitals network. If this computer was to
get infected with some sort of virus it could also travel and
affect other systems on the same network.

The hospital holds personal and confidential information on

their systems therefore this lack of security is seen as a
major problem. A virus may not be the only problem, as no
firewall based program is been used this might make it
easier for a hacker/attacker to gain access to the network
by using various methods or tools such as a backdoor
approach.
 3. Possible actions/solutions for
topic/issue/problem (with linkage to theory
around the theme):

As the system is using out of date definitions within the Anti-

Virus program it is not fully protected, for example if a new
virus was to hit the network today the definitions would not
have this virus stored within its database therefore the
system would be open to the virus. In order to overcome
this, the Anti-Virus program settings could be altered
allowing the program to update automatically. This will
update the virus database daily this ensuring maximum
security. By using a firewall program it allows the system to
be protected on a network, this firewall acts as a wall this
preventing any unwanted users gaining access to the
system.

Robi Karp is a consultant who specializes in computer

security his theory shows that by not using a firewall certain
resources and sensitive data are all at risk. A cracker who
has compromised a computer completely has access to all
files data and recourses. His theory is also backed up with
statistics provided from the Computer Security Institute.

4. Evaluation & Outputs of the research:

The research has shown that the current Anti-Virus program

is currently using out of date definitions. The research will
continue this by seeing if the program has any other
features which might be useful. The research will also
contain speaking to a member of staff and having a small
discussion about this issue.

5. Timeline for research:

4th February – Introduction

18th February – Investigating the current system
25 February – Analysing the current problem and having a
small discussion with member of staff
4th March - Thinking about possible solutions to the current
problem.
11th March – Having my solution backed up with theory.
PLEASE PRINT AND SIGN.

Student’s Signature:
John McGowan
(Signing this form certifies
that you agree to carry out
your research in a manner
appropriate to your
undergraduate studies).

Module Leader Signature:

(Note: Signing this form

certifies that the student has
clearly outlined the aspects
of the research).