A SOPHOMORE-LEVEL REVERSE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROJECT IN COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Cynthia Fry, Gennie Mansi, Kevin Kulda · 2024
On your first day on the job with a new company, you are presented with a challenge.A piece of executable code has been found on an older server, and you must determine what the code is designed to do.In CSI 2334, "Introduction to Computer Systems (Computer Systems)", we introduce to the students a group project simulating such an event.Group projects are used frequently to provide similar learning environments that capitalize on the benefits of peer-to-peer instruction and cooperative learning.The challenge is presented, the students are put on teams, and then the work begins.This paper will document the process taken by the student teams to:• Determine how to view a binary file.• Determine what tools are available for use.• Work with the tools and the executable file to determine whether the file is an old game, a piece of malicious code, or both.• Once the nature of the binary file is known, students will 1.Modify game play, 2. Quarantine the malicious code, or 3. Both.• Formulate a final report and presentation to be made to a panel of experts.This paper will document the process conducted by one of the student teams from the Spring 2019 semester, and the methods of assessment used to evaluate each team's results.