CMSC 414 - Computer and Network Security
Spring 2008
Course Outline
This course is an introduction to the broad field of computer and information security.
We will cover both computer security (including such topics as security policies, access control, viruses, etc.) and network security (such as protocols for maintaining confidentiality of email or for secure web transactions), along with some relevant background in basic cryptography.
The course material will be developed throughout the semester, based in part on the interests of the students.
To get a sense for what will be covered, please see the webpages for my previous offerings of this course
(Fall 2004
and
Fall 2003).
The course this semester will be similar, but not identical, to those previous courses.
General Information
- The class meets Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00 - 3:15 in 1122 CSIC.
- The primary textbook for this course is "Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World,
2nd edition" (by Kaufman, Perlman, and Speciner).
Unfortunately, although this book is excellent for network security, it has very little treatment of computer security and we will therefore supplement this with readings from other texts and papers.
A schedule of readings, as well as links to additional reading, will be posted on the syllabus.
- Additional readings are posted on the syllabus in advance of class. I expect students to read these before class so we can discuss them in class.
- Grading will be based on 4-5 homeworks (35%), 1-2 midterm exams (25%), and a final exam (40%). (Note that homeworks make up a significant portion of the final grade!) Class participation will be taken into account for borderline grades.
- Homework
- Late homeworks will not be accepted;
turn in whatever you have completed by the deadline.
If you foresee a problem completing the homework in time due to personal circumstances, speak to me about it well in advance.
- Homeworks will be done in teams of two students. It is expected that both students will be involved in all phases of each homework (i.e., you should not divide the homework so that one student works on the first question while the other works on the second). On the midterms, I will ask detailed questions based on the homeworks and it will be easy to catch someone who does not know what is going on.
- You may consult outside references when doing the homework, as long as these sources are properly referenced, you write up the solution yourself, and you understand the answer.
For example, if you look at other source code, you may not copy the code directly in your program, but you may model your program after it. And you must reference it!
- Check the course homepage frequently since announcements will be posted here and all handouts will be distributed via the web.
Announcements
- Please fill out the course evaluation! I value your feedback.
- The final exam will be held on May 19 from 10:30-12, in CSIC 1122
- I have written a high-level summary of what you should know for the final.
Staff
Instructor: Jonathan Katz (jkatz AT cs). Office: 3225 A.V. Williams Building. Office hours: Tuesday after class, and/or by appointment. Please email me if you plan to come to office hours, as I sometimes step out briefly.
Teaching Assistants: Martin Paraskevov (martin AT cs). Office hours (in TA room, 1112 A.V. Williams): Tuesday 11-1.