CS 391: Computer Security
Syllabus
Class Meetings
Tuesday, Thursday 8:30 to 9:45 am in Glatfelter 102.
Instructor(s)
| Instructor: | Dr. Clifton Presser |
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| Office: | Glatfelter Hall 210 |
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| Phone: | (717) 337-6639 |
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| Email: |
cpresser@gettysburg.edu
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| Office Hours: |
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00 to 11:00 am
Tuesday, Thursday 1:10 to 2:00 pm
Drop in anytime my door is open, or make an appointment
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Class web site
You are responsible for checking the class web site regularly.
Announcements and assignments will be posted on the
Moodle course management system.
Prerequisites
CS 216
Gettysburg Curricular Goals
This course satisfies the Quantitative, Inductive and Deductive Reasoning goal of the Gettysburg Curriculum.
Text
You should purchase a student membership to the ACM for 2019. This will give you access to the books, videos and online courses that we will use in this course.
These materials will be available through ACM's access to Safari and SkillSoft. The student membership is available for $19 from ACM Student Membership.
Three of the main texts we will use from these sites are listed below.
- Baloch, Rafay. Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Guide. Auerbach Publications. 2017. (available on Safari)
- Conklin et al. Principles of Computer Security: CompTIA Security+ and Beyond, Fifth Edition (Exam SY0-501). McGraw-Hill/Osborne. 2018. (available on SkillPort).
- Sinha, Sanjib. Beginning Ethical Hacking with Kali Linux: Computational Techniques for Resolving Security Issues. Apres. 2018. (available on SkillPort).
Topics
| CIA | Trust | Authentication |
| Secure Design | Cryptography | Defensive Programming |
| Threats and Attacks | Randomness | Network Security |
| Security Policies | Digital Forensics | Penetration Testing |
See the course calendar for more details.
Course Goals
Students taking this course will be able to:
Describe properties of computer and network security.
Describe tradeoffs between security and usability.
Evaluate security policies for risks and benefits.
Use defensive programming techniques while implementing their own programs.
Use software tools to to secure, investigate and profile computers and networks.
Describe algorithms for encrypting data and communication.
Course Credit
According to the College Catalog's section on Degree Requirements: "For transfer of credit to other institutions, the College recommends equating one course unit with 4 semester hours." This valuation is in alignment with our 32 course requirement for graduation.
The federal government defines a credit hour
as the equivalent amount of work as 50 minutes in class and two hours out of class for one semester.
Therefore, this course should be the equivalent work of three hours and twenty minutes in class and 8 hours outside of class per week.
Since the course meets two and a half hours per week, the schedule contains a "fourth hour" assignment each week. These assignments supplement the activities for the week or prepare you for the next week. They are assessed through homework and tests.
Attendance Policy
You are expected to attend class regularly and keep up with the reading.
You are expected to read the material BEFORE coming to class on the day
that it is discussed. A comprehensive list of readings is given on the
calendar on the class web page.
Grading Policy
Homework
Homework assignments and projects must be submitted at the beginning of
class on the day they are due. Late homework will be penalized 10% per day. Homework submitted after the assignment is graded or after an answer key is
distributed will NOT be accepted. Homework will be graded by the second
class meeting or one week after they are submitted, whichever is later.
Otherwise, all students who have turned the assignment in on time will
receive a 10% bonus.
Unless otherwise specified, all homework assignments are weighted
equally. Some assignments may count as two or more assignments. Such
changes will be noted on the assignment specifications.
Colloquia
Each student is required to attend at least two Computer Science colloquia during the semester. Colloquia are generally held Thursdays from 11:30 to 12:30 and include lunch.
Tests
There will be 2 tests during the semester, their dates are given
below. Make-up tests will only be given under special circumstances.
The final exam is cumulative. The date is determined by the Registrar.
Grade Distribution
| Assignments | 53% |
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| Colloquium Attendance | 2% |
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| Tests | 30% |
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| Final | 15% |
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Grade Ranges
| A+ | > 98 and exceptional work* | A | 93 - 100 | A- | 90
- 92 |
| B+ | 88 - 89 | B | 83 - 87 | B- | 80 -
82 |
| C+ | 78 - 79 | C | 73 - 77 | C- | 70 -
72 |
| D+ | 68 - 69 | D | 60 - 67 | F | below
60 |
* An A+ requires that you have a high A average and go above and
beyond expectations for the course. This may be in adding extra
functionality to a program or investigate a topic in greater depth than
we cover in class.
Honor Code and Honor Code Violations
All Gettysburg College students are expected to abide by the Honor Code.
All work in this course is to be done individually
unless the instructor specifically states otherwise.
This includes assigned projects as well as regular class work. The use
of the
computer may make it more tempting and easier to pass off another
person's
work as your own. This is UNACCEPTABLE.
The department is always very aggressive about enforcement of the Honor
Code.
In addition to the typical applications of the Honor Code, this course requires you to learn security applications and techniques that can be used to compromise production systems. Attempting to break into, modify, damage, hack or otherwise compromise a computer system or data for which you do not have permission is strictly forbidden. Any attempts to do so is a violation of the honor code. Such attacks are not only unethical, but in most cases illegal.
For this course the following are guidelines for following the honor code.
- Do not represent anyone else's work as your own.
- Do not search the Internet (or any other source) for solutions to the assignments unless told to do so.
- When an assignment requires that you search for an answer, provide references to your sources.
- Do not share your programs with other students, unless you are working on a group project.
- You may ask a fellow student for help if you get stuck, but they may not provide a solution.
- You may not attempt to gain access to a system or communication channel without explicit permission.
- You may not steal data or eavesdrop on communications without explicit permission.
Important Dates
| Test 1 | 9/27 9/26 (updated on 9/16) |
| Reading Day, no class | 10/15 |
| Test 2 | 11/8 11/7 (updated on 9/16) |
| Last day to drop with a grade of "W" | 11/8 |
| Thanksgiving, no class | 11/28 |
| Final Exam | Friday, 12/13, 8:30 am |
Please send questions and comments to:
cpresser@gettysburg.edu