Freshman Seminar

Alternative Assignment for PyCon Class

What Must you do:

First watch one of these videos.

This is a freshman seminar so we won't do anything too deep, but this should be easy enough to follow given what we have covered so far in class:

You have two choices of video's to watch.

You could Watch this video from a defcon talk a couple of years ago. Defcon is a security conference for academics and professionals in the digital security field. There is some R-rated language in the video, so be advised to watch in the right environment. It is from a public conference, but there is more than a bit of rude humor in describing some digital forensics fails.

If you would rather avoid the rude humor or if the previous video makes you uncomfortable in any way, You can watch this video entitled "Am I being spied on?" also from a DefCon conference talk. This video is much more sedate/straightforward and also quite relevant to the course.

Now write me a paper:

For either video, choose the best story/spy technique discussed. 

• If you are using the forensic fails describe the fail and why you think it is the worst one (and not just because the presenters rated it higher), be sure to compare it to at least 4 other cases explaining why your choice is a worse problem that all the others.
• If you are watching the spy detection video write a paper in which you argue which spy technique discussed would be most effective against two types of individuals,
• first the most effective against a victim with a low level of technical expertise
• then the technique most effective against a victim with a high level of technical expertise with computers and electronics.
• 
  Be sure to explain why you think each spy technique is useful against that particular group of people referencing information from the talk and/or your prior knowledge as needed.

The paper should be 1-2 pages of double spaced text. Of course good grammar and good writing will be part of the grade.