Syllabus
Course Description
This course will provide an introduction to computer security, with specific focus on the computing aspects. Topics covered will include: Basics of computer security including an overview of threat, attack, and adversary models; social engineering; essentials of cryptography; traditional computing security models; malicious software; secure programming; Operating system security in practice; trusted operating system design; public policy issues including legal, privacy, and ethical issues; network and database security overview.
Objectives
The objectives of this course are:
- To learn basic computer security concepts and terminology
- To understand fundamental classes of vulnerabilities in computer systems
- To learn basic cryptography and its applications to computer security
- To understands threats to computer systems and available countermeasures
- To learn about economic, legal, and ethical issues surrounding computer security
Required Textbook
The textbook Security in Computing by Charles and Shari Pfleeger is strongly recommended. Some practice exercises will be taken directly from the textbook. Also, you will find it very helpful for filling in any material you missed during lecture.
Lectures and Readings
You are expected to attend all lectures for this course. You are responsible for all material covered in class, even if not found in the on-line class presentation materials. If you should happen to miss a lecture or a lab, you are responsible for getting any missed notes or announcements from a classmate. I will provide outlines ("notes with gaps") in advance of most lectures.
Schedule
The course schedule includes lecture topics and notes, midterm and final exam dates, and project and lab due dates.
Grading Criteria
Your grade in this course is based on exams, lab assignments, and projects, as follows:
Undergraduate Students (426)
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Comprehensive Final Exam | 25% |
| Three Lab Assignments (10% each) | 30% |
| One Project | 25% |
Gradudate Students (626)
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Comprehensive Final Exam | 25% |
| Two Lab Assignments (10% each) | 20% |
| Two Projects | 35% |
Letter grades will follow the standard scale: A ≥ 90, 90 > B ≥ 80, 80 > C ≥ 70, 70 > D ≥ 60, 60 > F.
All grades will be posted on Blackboard.
Your grade is based on timely work accomplished during the semester. Late assignments will not be accepted unless authorized IN ADVANCE. Make-up exams will only be given for documented medical illness, family emergency, or other dire circumstances.
Projects
Undergraduate students will have one project to complete; graduate students will have two projects. See the the course schedule for assignment and due dates.
You may work with a partner. If you choose to work with a partner, the two of you may share code and information freely with each other. This is an exception to the Academic Conduct policy; however, this does not authorize you to share code or information with any other students — the Academic Conduct policies apply to all other interactions. Partner submissions must be clearly marked with both students' names.
Details of the projects will be announced closer to the assignment dates.
Labs
Undergraduate students will have three labs to complete; graduate students will have two labs. For graduate students, the second, comprehesive project takes the place of the undergraduates' third lab. See the the course schedule for due assignment and due dates.
Labs must be completed individually — partner work is not permitted on labs.
Details of the labs will be announced closer to the assignment dates.
Project and Lab Environment
The projects and labs will make use of virtual machines. I will ensure that the necessary virtual machines function properly using VirtualBox on a Macbook; you may use a different virtualization application (e.g. VMWare Workstation), but you will be responsible for ensuring the virtual machines work in that environment. It is crucial that you install and test the virtual machines as soon as possible after the project or lab is assigned.
Technical difficulties with virtualization are not an acceptable reason for an assignment to be turned-in late.
Exams
There will be two exams — a mid-term and a comprehensive final exam. Graduate students will be given more difficult exams.
A picture ID is required to take and hand-in an exam.
Blackboard and Piazza
Blackboard will be used to post grades. A Piazza site is available to support course discussion forums. Discussion forums will be created for each assignment (labs and projects), exams, and general topics.
If you have difficulty accessing the CMSC 426/626 Blackboard site or your Piazza account, e-mail your instructor.
Academic Conduct Policies
By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC’s scholarly community in which everyone’s academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, consult the Academic Integrity Resources for Students page, the Faculty Handbook (Sections 14.2-14.3), or for graduate courses, the Graduate School website.
If you need help with a project or lab, see your instructor. You are encouraged to make full use of textbooks and the course web pages.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of specific Academic Conduct violations:
- Copying code from another student
- Being in possession of another student’s code
- Providing your code to another student
- Failing to secure hardcopies of your code
- Typing code read from another student’s screen
- Submitting code found on the Internet as your own work
Your projects and labs will be checked for similarities with all other student work. If your project is found to be “substantially similar” to that of another student, or if it is determined that someone else wrote your project for you, then, at a minimum, you and the other student (if applicable) will receive a grade of zero for that project and a 10 point deduction (one letter grade) in your semester average. Furthermore, all parties concerned will have their prior projects re-checked for cheating. Any second incident will result in a grade of ‘F’ for the semester.
Note that checking for cheating may occur at any time during the semester. Therefore, if you cheated on Project 1, you may be confronted about that project at any time during the semester. Receiving a grade for a project does not mean that you are “in the clear.”
Any act of academic misconduct WILL BE reported to the University’s Academic Conduct Committee for further action, which may include, but is not limited to, academic suspension or dismissal from the University.
Email Policy
In most cases, emails will be answered within 48 hours. If you send a question by email in the evening, do not expect an answer until the next day, at the earliest; emails received over the weekend may not be answered until Monday or Tuesday.