Overview
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This course provides a graduate-level introduction to computer and network security. Students successfully completing this class will have a broad understanding of cyber security and rudimentary skills in security research. Students will also be able to evaluate works in academic and commercial security. The course begins with a tutorial of the basic elements of software security, cryptography, cryptanalysis, and systems security, and continues by covering a number of seminal papers and monographs in a wide range of security areas.
Topics covered include essential ideas about confidentiality, integrity, availability, software security, software vulnerabilities, secure programming, network security, authentication, security protocol design and analysis, key management, software security, software vulnerabilities, operating systems security, access control, information flow, virtualization security, intrusion detection, web security, and other emerging topics. A detailed list of lecture by lecture contents, assignments, and due dates (subject to change as the semester evolves) is available on the course schedule.
Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change. Even if you print this syllabus, please check the course website often. Students are expected to log in to Canvas daily, to check for course updates, announcements, emails, discussions, etc.
Prerequisite:
- Sufficient programming experience in C/C++ and basic understanding of operating systems and networking concepts.
Reading Materials
Most of the course readings will come from seminal papers in the field. Links to these papers will be provided on the course pages. In addition, the following books will be used for readings and as reference material.
Grading
The course will be graded on exams, reviews, assignments, projects, and class participation in the following proportions:
| 45-50% | Individual Focused Projects |
| 5-7.5% | Quizzes (announced and unannounced) |
| 15% | Mid-term Exam |
| 22.5% | Final Exam |
| 7.5-10% | Class Participation and Reviews |
Course Projects
There will be four individual projects. These projects will teach methods for both attack and defense (see Ethics Statement below). Details of the projects will be published on the course webpage.
Quizzes
There will be announced and unannounced quizzes to test the student's knowledge of key points and practice for the exams. These will be short quizzes, about 10 minutes, at the end or in the middle of the class. The date for the announced quizzes will be notified one week prior to it.
Reviews
Understanding research papers is a key task in computer science research. In this class, students will provide provide a one-page review of research papers assigned as readings. Roughly one review will be due per week. The review must be turned in through the online submission portal. You may follow the following review template.
Class Participation
Course lectures will be driven by the contents of assigned papers and book chapters. Students are going to be required to participate in discussions of the paper content during each lecture. Hence, the students ability to exhibit comprehension of papers is essential to a passing grade.
Lateness Policy
Project milestones are assessed a 10% per-day late penalty, up to a maximum of 4 days. Unless the problem is apocalyptic, don't give me excuses. Students with legitimate reasons who contact the professor before the deadline may apply for an extension.
Communication Policy
Announcements will be made through CANVAS/Piazza and the online class discussion will occur via Piazza. Questions related to class materials, projects, assignments, and exams will occur in Piazza. The instructor or the TA will try their best to respond to questions in Piazza within 24 hours. Unless there is a strong reason, the questions should be made public to everyone so that other students can chime in and the discussion can benefit all students. For sensitive subjects (e.g., grading), email the TA and CC the instructor.
Academic Integrity Policy
Please be aware of the EECS Department's Academic Integrity Policy. Students are required to follow the university guidelines on academic conduct at all times. Students failing to meet these standards will automatically receive a 'F' grade for the course. The instructor carefully monitors for instances of offenses such as plagiarism and illegal collaboration, so it is very important that students use their best possible judgement in meeting this policy. The instructor will not entertain any discussion on the discovery of an offense, and will assign the 'F' grade and refer the student to the appropriate University bodies for possible further action.
Note that students are explicitly forbidden to copy anything off the Internet (e.g., source code, text) for the purposes of completing an assignment or the final project. Also, students are forbidden from discussing or collaborating on any assignment except were explicitly allowed in writing by the instructor.
Webcam Policy
This course may require you to have a webcam for class sessions and assessments. Classes and assessments may be conducted using Zoom or other technology which may use your computer’s webcam or other technologies to communicate, monitor, and/or record classes, class activities, and assessments. Assessments may also be conducted using proctoring software, which may listen to you, monitor your computer screen, view you and your surroundings, and record (including visual and audio recordings) all activity during the proctoring process. Please contact your instructor if you are unable to comply or have any questions or concerns.
Class Recording
Video and audio recordings of class lectures will be part of the classroom activity. The video and audio recording is used for educational use/purposes and only may be made available to all students presently enrolled in the class. For purposes where the recordings will be used in future class sessions/lectures, any type of identifying information will be adequately removed. (See Policy).
Copyright Statement
All course materials students receive or to which students have online access are protected by copyright laws. For courses in which they have previously been or are currently enrolled, students may use course materials and make copies for their own use as needed, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. Policy AD 40 (Recording of Classroom Activities and Note Taking Services) addresses this issue. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, and/or liable under Federal and State laws.
Ethics Statement
This course considers topics involving personal and public privacy and security. As part of this investigation we will cover technologies whose abuse may infringe on the rights of others. As an instructor, I rely on the ethical use of these technologies. Unethical use may include circumvention of existing security or privacy measurements for any purpose, or the dissemination, promotion, or exploitation of vulnerabilities of these services. Exceptions to these guidelines may occur in the process of reporting vulnerabilities through public and authoritative channels. Any activity outside the letter or spirit of these guidelines will be reported to the proper authorities and may result in dismissal from the class.
When in doubt, please contact the course professor for advice. Do not undertake any action which could be perceived as technology misuse anywhere and/or under any circumstances unless you have received explicit permission from Professor Hussain.
Disability Accommodation Statement
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. Student Disability Resources (SDR) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus ( http://equity.psu.edu/sdr/disability-coordinator). For further information, please visit Student Disability Resources website ( http://equity.psu.edu/sdr/).
Counseling and Psychological Services Statement
Many students at Penn State face personal challenges or have psychological needs that may interfere with their academic progress, social development, or emotional well being. The university offers a variety of confidential services to help you through difficult times, including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultations, online chats, and mental health screenings. These services are provided by staff who welcome all students and embrace a philosophy respectful of clients’ cultural and religious backgrounds, and sensitive to differences in race, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation.
Counseling and Psychological Services at University Park (CAPS) ( http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling): 814-863-0395
Penn State Crisis Line (24 hours/7 days/week): 877-229-6400
Crisis Text Line (24 hours/7 days/week): Text LIONS to 741741
Educational Equity/Report Bias Statements
Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage ( http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/).
