Fundamental introduction to the broad area of computer security. Topics will include access control, security policy design, network security, cryptography, ethics, securing systems, and common vulnerabilities in computer systems.
CSCI 180: Data structures. CSCI 324: Operating Systems and Phil 341/CSCI 281: Computer Ethics are recommended but not required.
The following are a list of some expected course outcomes.
Email contact with the course instructor is a necessity in this class.. I will check email several times throughout the work day, and will also check email once per evening to answer questions and resolve issues. Email contact over the weekend may be more sporadic, although I will be sure to check at least once.
Computers will be an integral part of this course, both inside and outside of class. However, out of courtesy to both the instructor and other students, please do not use the lab computers for non-class related activity. In particular, you do not need to be using a computer unless an exercise or in class activity requiring them is in progress.
You are unlikely to need cell phones during the course of lecture. Please ensure that your cell phone is set to vibrate or silent during lecture, and do not send text messages of any kind.
A portion of your grade will be based on in class participation or pop quizzes given in lecture. These are entirely at the instructors discretion. If you expect to miss class due to illness, weather, or any other reason, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor before class begins.
There will be a series of written homeworks and essay assignments in the class, which (in total) will compromise 20% of your final score. Essays will be over papers assigned in class. Each will be 1-2 pages long, and should both summarize key points and take an opinion on the article.
There will be several labs on computer security. Each will be done on the DETER system, a remove cluster where our virtual machines will be running. Each lab will be self contained, and must be done individually. Stay tuned for more information on the DETER system as well as on our assignments.
There will be two exams, a midterm and a cumulative final, worth 15% and 20% of your total grade (respectively). The midterm will be the week before spring break (unless we have any major schedule changes), and the final is set to be Thursday, May 7, from 12-2pm.
Letter grades will be based on each students overall percentage of awarded points according to the following formula.
Due to the fact that labs are through a new system (and the fact that we all have busy lives), I'll grant a 3 day extension on any homework or lab as long as you email me to request it BEFORE the assignment is due. The only exception will be homework or exercises which I specify will need to be done by a certain class period, as those will generally be used in our exercises for that day (and hence need to be completed by the start of class in order for you to recieve credit).
Extensions for more than 3 days will require some form of medical documentation or an excuse from a dean.
I am happy to regrade any assignments, programs, quizzes or exam problems which you think were unfair or incorrect. Please bring me the original assignment, plus a written explanation of your question or complaint, within two weeks of the time the paper in question is graded and returned to you.
In the context of this course, I encourage students to discuss general course material, which includes studying for exams, sharing notes if a student must miss class, and working on any practice problems which are assigned. We will also have occasional programming assignments that will be completed in pairs. However, unless clearly stated otherwise in the assignment description, any work which will be submitted for a grade must be completed by individuals.
This course is somewhat different in that you are welcome to use any source of information, as long as you clearly document the source if you directly reference or copy anything. In fact, I will expect a high degree of independent research, so get used to using google to find relevant resources! However, I will ask for a degree of common sense; if you post a question to a homework help site and I discover that you are not doing the actual homework yourself, you will be considered in violation of the academic integrity policy. Likewise, copying from another student will be met with strict penalties, since the labs are where you will learn most of the material. If you have any questions or concerns about a particluar situation as it arises, feel free to contact me directly for clarification.
Students who violate academic integrity policies will be reported to the department. First time offenses on homework will result in a minimum of a failing grade on the assignment in question, with egregious or repeated offenses resulting in failure in the course. In addition, students will be referred to the College of Arts and Sciences for further disciplinary action.
The following is a statement of minimum standards for student academic integrity at Saint Louis University; I expect full compliance with the policies described.
The University is a community of learning, whose effectiveness requires an environment of mutual trust and integrity, such as would be expected at a Jesuit, Catholic institution. As members of this community, students, faculty, and staff members share the responsibility to maintain this environment. Academic dishonesty violates it. Although not all forms of academic dishonesty can be listed here, it can be said in general that soliciting, receiving, or providing any unauthorized assistance in the completion of any work submitted toward academic credit is dishonest. It not only violates the mutual trust necessary between faculty and students, but also undermines the validity of the University's evaluation of students and takes unfair advantage of fellow students.
Further, it is the responsibility of any student who observes such dishonest conduct to call it to the attention of a faculty member or administrator.
Examples of academic dishonesty would be copying from another student, copying from a book or class notes during a closed-book exam, submitting materials authored by or editorially revised by another person but presented as the student's own work, copying a passage or text directly from a published source without appropriately citing or recognizing that source, taking a test or doing an assignment or other academic work for another student, tampering with another student's work, securing or supplying in advance a copy of an examination without the knowledge or consent of the instructor, and colluding with another student or students to engage in an act of academic dishonesty.
Where there is clear indication of such dishonesty, a faculty member or administrator has the responsibility to apply appropriate sanctions. Investigations of violations will be conducted in accord with standards and procedures of the school or college through which the course or research is offered. Recommendations of sanctions to be imposed will be made to the dean of the school or college in which the student is enrolled. Possible sanctions for a violation of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, disciplinary probation, suspension, and dismissal from the University.