Implement Authentication and Access Control for a Civic Portal
Overview
What this challenge is about.
Implement Authentication and Access Control for a Civic Portal. Intermediate challenge in code. Writing production code that solves real engineering problems...
The Brief
What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.
Implement production-grade authentication, MFA, and RBAC for a civic portal with 4 staff roles and a non-bypassable audit log.
This is not a coding exercise. It is the work a software engineer does between a Jira ticket and a merged PR. That distinction matters to every hiring manager who has seen candidates solve LeetCode problems and none who have shipped production code under real constraints.
When you finish, you will have something most graduates do not: a real-world deliverable, verified by Ewance, that you can show to a hiring manager and say "I did this. Here is the proof."
Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate
- Choose and justify a real auth stack against requirements
- Implement TOTP-based MFA correctly (no replayable secrets)
- Design RBAC with appropriate scope narrowing per role
- Build a tamper-evident audit log that survives a breach
Program Fit
Where this fits in your program.
Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.
Introduction to Computer Security
Bachelor · Security
Strong alignment
This challenge maps to Introduction to Computer Security at the Bachelor level. It sharpens the same practical skills your coursework expects — but in a real industry context with actual constraints and deliverables.
Skills
Skills you'll demonstrate.
Each one shows up on your verified credential.
- Authentication
Apply authentication to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Authorization
Apply authorization to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Rbac
Apply rbac to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Mfa
Apply mfa to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Secure Design
Apply secure design to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Audit Logging
Apply audit logging to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
Careers
Career paths this challenge builds toward
Completing this challenge demonstrates skills that transfer directly to these roles: