Security Framework towards e – Examinations in Undergraduate Studies

Abstract

Conduct of e-Examinations is one of the challenging tasks faced by 
universities and higher educational institutes in the present times. In a 
university environment there are different subjects that are amenable to 
different types of e-Examinations. To ensure security of e-Examinations, each 
type of e-Examination must have a properly defined security policy and procedure 
based on widely accepted security framework to ensure the quality of 
evaluations. This thesis presents a security framework that covers the security 
aspect of the e-Examination process encompassing most types of e-Examinations 
that are held at undergraduate level. This unique security framework for 
e-Examinations has been developed based on the principles of COBIT 5 Information 
Security which is an accepted industry security standard. In this framework many 
security protocols have been adopted to secure client side, server side and the 
network communication channels. The framework proposes an e-Examination Steering 
Committee that controls security policies, procedures, monitoring, reporting and 
decision making within the framework. This process continues repeatedly and 
removes weaknesses in the e-Examination process and has the ability to evolve 
and minimize security risks.