CMSC 414 - Computer and Network Security
Fall 2009
Course Outline
This course is an introduction to the broad field of computer, network, 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 will be similar, though not identical, to the version of the course
I taught previously.
General Information
- The class meets Monday and Wednesday from 3:30 - 4:45 in 1121 CSIC.
- An optional textbook for this course is "Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World,
2nd edition" (by Kaufman, Perlman, and Speciner).
Please note that although this book serves as a good reference for network security,
it offers very little treatment of other aspects of computer security and we will therefore supplement it with readings from other texts and papers. (Note further
that the book's treatment of cryptography is very different from the way cryptography is taught in class.)
- I am experimenting this year with a course blog. The blog will be used for general discussion related to the class, and students are encouraged to post questions there.
- There is also a class forum you can use for questions specifically related to the homework.
- 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%), a midterm exam (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 and homeworks will be distributed via the web.
Announcements
Staff
Instructor: Jonathan Katz (jkatz AT cs). Office: 3225 A.V. Williams Building.
Office hours: Monday 2:30-3:30. Please email me if you plan to come to office hours, as I sometimes step out briefly.
Teaching Assistants: Ashwin Kumar (techforn10 AT gmail.com). Office hours (in TA room, 1112 AV Williams): Friday 10-12.