Cybersecurity and User Experience Design
Hello Writer,
Please find attached the word document stating the assignment details. Do let me know if you have any questions.
Module: Cybersecurity and User Experience Design
Assignment 1 of 2 – report of 1,000 words
Task
Your task is to write a 1,000-word (+/- 10%) report on how user experience design effects a major research theme in usable cybersecurity of your choice from what we have covered through this course. It is probably best to select a research area to focus on. Use the literature we have covered and your own research to support your claims. Scenarios of use and screenshots of applications which use user experience design positively and negatively in this area are encouraged. Discuss how there are differences in approach to this research issue in implementation.
The following learning outcomes will be assessed:
- Critically appreciate the principles of user experience design and their application to the design and evaluation of cyber security systems
- Critically understand the major, specialized, research themes in usable cyber security
Guidelines
- Your submission should 1,000 words in length (+/- 10%).
- Please make sure that you correctly cite and reference all secondary sources you use, and include a reference list, the Harvard referencing system must be used. The reference list will not be included in your final word count.
- You can refer to any of your course handouts, any other books, journals, online resources etc.
Student Information
The report should include the following headings:
1. Introduction
Your introduction should include a summary of the main points that you will discuss in your report. Your introduction should outline the topic you have chosen and the applications which you will use to present your points. Your introduction should be about 200 words in length
2. Why this theme is important
The purpose of this section is to ensure you understand why this theme is important, with relation to issues that this theme is trying to combat. Where are the “weak links” for this research area? What security and usability problems does this area face? How integral are they to their related processes? This section should be about 275 words in length.
3. How this theme is affected by user experience design
In this section you should form a few sub-sections which describe how user experience implementations can improve or hinder the usability and security factors. Give examples using software scenarios and screenshots. This section should be about 325 words in length.
4 Conclusions
In this section you should summarise your findings and consider what opportunities there are for future research and which technologies might be used to develop the problem in the future. This section should be about 200 words in length.
5. References
These should be to Harvard standards (not included in work count but should be between 5-10 references). References should be valid and appropriate.
The word counts for the sections are just advisory based on producing a balanced report, but you may deviate from them. Consider the mark scheme.
Submission Guidelines
Your report should be spell checked and contain references. You must use the Harvard style of referencing, both for citations within the text and your reference list. Please ensure all software screenshots included are in English, with a reference from the text.
Thanks
Please find attached the word document covering literature covered and assessment tips.
Many thanks
NB: Please let me know if you are not able to see the attached word document.
Literature_Covered_&_Assessment_Tips.docx
That's the full list , up to the writer to decide which to use. If that makes sense. Thanks
Literature Covered & Assessment Tips
Literature Covered
Week 1
Required Textbook Readings:
W, E., 2021. Security and usability: you CAN have it all!. [Blog] National Cyber Security Center, Available at: <https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/security-and-usability--you-can-have-it-all->.
Sasse, A. and Flechais, I. (2005) “Usable Security,” in Cranor, L. F. and Garfinkel, S. (eds.) Security and Usability: Designing secure systems that people can use. 1st ed. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, pp. 13–30.
Sasse, M., Brostoff, S. and Weirich, D., 2001. Transforming the 'weakest link' - a human/computer interaction approach to usable and effective security. BT Technology Journal, [online] 19(3), pp.122-131. Available at: <https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/144215/>.
Kainda, R., Flechais, I. and Roscoe, A., 2010. Security and Usability: Analysis and Evaluation. 2010 International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security, [online] Available at: <https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5438081>.
Reason, J., 2000. Human error: models and management. BMJ, [online] 320(7237), pp.768-770. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1117770/>.
Cdc.gov. 2021. Hierarchy of Controls | NIOSH | CDC. [online] Available at: <https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/hierarchy/default.html>.
Gov.uk. 2021. NCSC glossary. [online] Available at: <https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/ncsc-glossary>.
Week 2:
Required Textbook Readings
- Garfinkel, S. and Lipford, H. R. (2014) Usable security: History, themes, and challenges. San Rafael, CA: Morgan and Claypool Life Sciences, pp. 39-120.
Week 3
Required Textbook Readings
- Benyon, D. (2019) Designing User Experience: A guide to HCI, UX and interaction design. 4th ed. London, England: Pearson Education, pp. 1-141.
Week 4
Required Textbook Readings
- Zinatullin, L. (2016) The psychology of information security 2016: Resolving conflicts between security compliance and human behaviour. Edited by IT Governance Publishing. Ely, England: IT Governance Publishing, pp. 58-99.
- Cranor, L., 2008. A Framework for Reasoning about the Human in the Loop. In: Proceedings of the 1st Conference on Usability, Psychology, and Security. [online] San Francisco, California: USENIX Association, pp.1-15. Available at: <https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/1387649.1387650>.
Suggested Textbook Readings
- Benyon, D. (2019) Designing User Experience: A guide to HCI, UX and interaction design. 4th ed. London, England: Pearson Education, pp. 501-609.
Week 5
Required Textbook Readings
- National Cyber Security Center, 2021. Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2021. [online] National Cyber Security Center. Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2021/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2021>.
- Gorski, P., von Zezschwitz, E., Lo Iacono, L. and Smith, M., 2019. On providing systematized access to consolidated principles, guidelines and patterns for usable security research and development. Journal of Cybersecurity, [online] 5(1). Available at: <https://academic.oup.com/cybersecurity/article/5/1/tyz014/5681668>.
- National Cyber Security Centre, 2021. Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2021. [online] National Cyber Security Centre. Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2021/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2021>.
Assessment Tips
WHY YOUR THEME IS IMPORTANT
- What is your theme trying to do?
- Why do we need that?
- What events have happened in your theme?
- What does a bad implementation within your theme look like?
- What does a great implementation within your theme look like?
YOUR THEME AND USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
- What does a bad implementation within your theme look like?
- What does a great implementation within your theme look like?
- Are there any usability / security trade offs?
USABLE SECURITY RESEARCH REPORT
By (Student Name)
Course Code: Course Name
Professor’s Name
University
City, State
Date
Usable Security Research Report
Introduction
The rising access to digital information has augmented service delivery via computer systems and mobile applications. Mobile designs are increasingly moving from computer workstation companion devices to stand-alone or primary devices for digital access to information. Computer crime, an established problem on conventional workstations, has become a problem that computer users struggle with when using mobile platforms. For instance, mobile applications pose security challenges distinct from conventional computing workstations. These issues include scheming practically usable safety to coincide with the capabilities and needs of the device users and customers. This report evaluates user experience design influences usable cybersecurity based on privacy and security measures for PayPal and Apple Pay applications. PayPal is an online payment company that enables businesses and individuals to receive and transfer money electronically. Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service which allows users to make and receive payments (Rusu and Simion, 2019, p.1). This paper will evaluate the impact of user experience design on enhancing strong customer authentication – the process of validating the identity of the application user or payment transaction.
Importance of the Theme
This analysis is central to establishing effective user experience design techniques to enhance mobile devices’ application security. Principles for attaining practical security for information systems exist, including those for information systems usability design. The security design of the mobile device is increasingly influenced by the mobile device’s hardware and platform in equal measure, as are other applications (Horcher, 2018, p.2-3). In this context, mobile application users demand functional design and security, especially for electronic banking and other financial services applications. To effectively meet the above needs, PayPal and Apple Pay should pay attention to meet efforts needed of the customer to adhere to security measures, proper security for information value, and the device’s resource constraints regarding physical form variables as well as device capabilities. The solution is to ensure application design unifies both usability and security principles. Systems intended to achieve usability and security requirements are increasingly secure to use since the customer cannot circumvent authentication for functionality. The weak link in this research area is anchored on using design trends to address the rising expectations and requirements for integrated usability and authentication on mobile device applications in the financial sector (Sasse et al., 2001, n.p).
Poor integration of usability and security principles into the design bedrock results in both relative inefficacy, thus constituting a significant problem in accomplishing this research. Beyond the similar disrespect lies an inherent relationship between usability and security. Poor usability or lack of security form in itself. The most secure mobile device application can never be breached but is not necessarily utilized. The opposite could also be authentic: removing tough security measures such as authentication could make the application extremely usable. Usability and authentication protocols are increasingly integral to their related processes (Horcher, 2018, p.3). The application design could lead to a tug-of-war between the two ends, with many application designers trading off optimal user experience to achieve authentication and vice versa.
How this Theme is Affected by User Experience Design
User experience implementation could augment or hinder security and usability factors in various dimensions (Kainda et al., 2010). Mobile applications need access controls to safeguard user information on the device, as well as offer secure authentication to the systems interfaced to by the gadget. User experience implementation entails providing easy use to facilitate adoption. In this context, the access controls must consider the device’s in-motion environment and form factors to enhance the user’s information security (Benyon, 2019, p.342). The current authentication mechanism – Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) – is instrumental in accessing the application and initiating electronic transactions, thus reducing the risk of fraudulent activity (Benyon, 2019). Three form factors impro...