EECE 412, Fall 2004
Introduction to Computer Security

Syllabus

Course Description

EECE 412, "Introduction to Computer Security," is a fourth year undergraduate elective course that introduces students to the subject of computer security from the technical point of view. The purpose of this course is to help students in learning the principles of computer and information security in general and of constructing secure systems in particular.

The students are expected to learn:

Logistics

When*: Tuesday and Thursday, from 4:00 PM to 5:25 PM; September 07, 2004 to December 03, 2004.

Where*: Forest Science Centre (FSC) 1221

Announcements

All non-urgent announcements for the course are made in the appropriate discussion topics of the course's WebCT site. It's expected that all students check discussion topics at least every business day. Those urgent announcements that are better to be read same day are sent to the course's mailing list.

* -- subject to change, see the course's entry in the calendar

Grading

Grading will be done according to the following break-down:

Module
Grade %
In-class and online contribution to discussions
10
Quizzes
10
Mid-term examination
20
Term project presentation at the mini-conference
10
Term project
30
Home assignments
20

 

Course Staff

Lecturer

Dr. Konstantin Beznosov. Office hours by appointment.

Teaching Assistant

Keith Krustowki

Learning Objectives

Core Learning Objectives

On completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:

  1. Articulate the principles of computer and information security,
  2. Describe similarities and differences among various symmetric and public key
    cryptographic techniques,
  3. Explain discretionary owner-based, mandatory lattice-based, and role-based access
    control models,
  4. Describe main types of security policies,
  5. Articulate the principles of security design,
  6. Explain methods of security assurance,
  7. Articulate the defense methods against malicious logic.

 

Entry Requirements

Prerequisites

Even though the following courses are formal pre-requisites for EECE 412, what you have to have is a reasonably good understanding of computer and software systems, which you might have gained through other similar courses or your own prior experience. If you have not taken these courses but have good knowledge of computers and software, talk to the course instructor to see if these formal requirements can be waived for you.

 

Modules

In order to pass the course, each student must complete the following modules:

  1. Term Project

    Students will be responsible for a final project. You must work in a group of three or four people.

    The nature and the topic of the project is your choice, although it needs the approval of the teaching staff. For inspiration, you might want to look at the list of potential project topics found at the page of the term project module. We will generally approve interesting topics about network, computer, or software security.

    A one or two-page written proposal for the project with an initial bibliography is due some time in week 6 (please see the course calendar for exact deadline information). It is advisable to get going early; we will gladly accept proposals before the deadline. This assignment gives us a chance to review and approve your project proposal, and to suggest references that you may have overlooked.

    We also encourage you to arrange a short meeting with the course staff to discuss what you want to do for the project. The deadline for such a meeting is during week 5.

    The last two or three classes (week 13) will be devoted to short presentations of each term project. Your written report is due by the end of week 13.

  2. Home assignments

    The are will be four problem sets posted about one week before the corresponding due dates. Solutions will be posted with corrected homework—hopefully within a week of the deadlines.

    There will be both individual and group problem sets. You are to work on group problem sets and term projects in groups of three or four (preferably three). One problem set will be turned in by each group, and one grade will be given for each assignment. You must work in groups; assignments turned in by individuals or pairs will not be accepted. Be sure that you understand and approve the solutions turned in to each problem. Get your group organized as soon as you can, and email the composition of your group to the teaching staff.

    If you have trouble finding a group, contact the staff. To prevent your group from falling apart, make sure everyone participates and that you all communicate on a regular basis. If you have a problem with a groupmate, talk to him/her first. If you are unable to make a compromise or your group does fall apart, talk to the staff.

  3. Presentation of the term projects (mini-conference)

    Each group will present their term project to the rest of the class during a mini-conference at the end of the course. A tutorial on successful presentations will be held (probably during week 11). Prior to presenting your work in class, you will be asked to give a practice presentation to the course staff.

  4. Quizzes

    There will be two quizzes throughout the course. Quizzes will test your knowledge of material from lectures, home assignments, and readings.

  5. Mid-term examination

    There will be a mid-term closed-book examination during week 7.

  6. Sessions

    Sessions will be a mix of lectures, Q&A, discussions, group and individual activities. Although attendance is not mandatory and will not be recorded, you are highly encouraged to participate actively since this will improve your understanding and retention of the material, as well as increase your participation grade.

  7. Participation

    Every student is expected to participate actively in the sessions and/or online discussions carried on between sessions on the discussion group of the course. Part of you final grade is determined by your participation. The following criteria will be used for assessing each student's participation:

    Mark Criteria
    9-10
    1. You are always prepared for class as evidenced by the substance of your whole-class and small-group comments, which you regularly make, and
    2. Your comments elevate the discussion level by expanding on current ideas, introducing new ideas, or asking insightful questions, and
    3. You are always an active listener and participant in course activities, and
    4. You always actively contribute to the online discussions and offer your answers to the questions other students post, and
    5. You never talk for the sake of talking, make rude or inappropriate comments, or serve as a distraction for other students.
    7-8
    1. You are frequently prepared for class as evidenced by the substance of your whole-class and small-group comments, which you regularly make, and
    2. Most of your comments elevate the discussion level by expanding on current ideas, introducing new ideas, or asking insightful questions, and
    3. You are frequently an active listener and participant in course activities, and
    4. You frequently contribute to the online discussions and offer your answers to the questions other students post, and
    5. You never talk for the sake of talking, make rude or inappropriate comments, or serve as a distraction for other students.
    5-6
    1. You are somewhat frequently prepared for class as evidenced by the substance of your whole-class and small-group comments, which you somewhat regularly make, and
    2. Some of your comments elevate the discussion level by expanding on current ideas, introducing new ideas, or asking insightful questions, and
    3. You are somewhat frequently an active listener and participant in course activities, and
    4. You somewhat frequently contribute to the online discussions and offer your answers to the questions other students post, and
    5. You generally don't talk for the sake of talking, make rude or inappropriate comments, or serve as a distraction for other students.
    3-4
    1. You are some times prepared for class as evidenced by the substance of your whole-class and small-group comments, which you somewhat regularly make, and
    2. Some of your comments elevate the discussion level by expanding on current ideas, introducing new ideas, or asking insightful questions, and
    3. You are generally an active listener and participant in course activities, and
    4. You contribute sometimes to the online discussions and offer your answers to the questions other students post, and
    5. You generally don't talk for the sake of talking, make rude or inappropriate comments, or serve as a distraction for other students.
    1-2
    1. You are rarely prepared for class as evidenced by the substance of your whole-class and small-group comments, which you somewhat regularly make, or
    2. Few of your comments elevate the discussion level by expanding on current ideas, introducing new ideas, or asking insightful questions, or
    3. You are rarely an active listener and participant in course activities, or
    4. You contribute rarely to the online discussions and offer your answers to the questions other students post, or
    5. You happen to talk for the sake of talking, make rude or inappropriate comments, or serve as a distraction for other students.
    0
    1. You are almost never prepared for class as evidenced by the substance of your whole-class and small-group comments, which you somewhat regularly make, and
    2. Almost none of your comments elevate the discussion level by expanding on current ideas, introducing new ideas, or asking insightful questions, and
    3. You are almost never an active listener and participant in course activities, and
    4. You almost never contribute to the online discussions and offer your answers to the questions other students post, or
    5. You talk for the sake of talking, make rude or inappropriate comments, or serve as a distraction for other students.

     

  8. Reading

    Each student is expected to read all required material for each session. There will be also optional reading for most sessions, which will help you to gain dipper and/or broader understanding of a particular topic.

Textbook

Course Textbook

Matt Bishop. Computer Security: Art and Science. Addison Wesley Professional. 2002.

Recommended Reading

Please see the page with additional resources for a list of recommended additional reading.