CS205 Assignment 1 Solution Fall 2026

This assignment requires students to decode a security message using the CyberChef tool. Students must identify their specific scenario based on the final digit of their VU ID and apply two decoding layers, hexadecimal and Base64, in the correct sequence. The final output must reveal a scenario description, an incident, and a specific code. Students are tasked with identifying the primary security objective affected by the incident and providing a brief justification.

1. 1

   Scenario Selection and Decoding

   3+6+5 marks

   Select the correct scenario based on your VU ID and input the provided encoded string into CyberChef after removing all spaces and line breaks. Apply the From Hex and From Base64 operations in the correct order to recover the readable message. Ensure the output contains the scenario, incident, and the specific code value.

2. 2

   Security Objective Analysis

   4 marks

   Identify whether the incident primarily affects confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Provide a concise explanation for your choice, ensuring the justification does not exceed 25 words.

3. 3

   Documentation and Submission

   2 marks

   Create an identification panel in a Word document containing your VU ID, scenario number, recovered code, security objective, and the reason. Capture a single, unedited screenshot showing both the CyberChef interface and the Word panel simultaneously.

What to submit

One Word file containing exactly one original screenshot that displays both the CyberChef interface and the identification panel.

Topics covered

Information security objectives Data decoding Hexadecimal encoding Base64 encoding CyberChef tool Confidentiality integrity and availability