Dr. Greg Bernstein
January 11th, 2021
Security principles, scope and vulnerabilities of Cyberspace, the problem of identity, privacy, malicious software, data security, cryptography, authentication in distributed systems, e-mail security, network security, wireless security, offensive security. Programming assignments and review of literature.
This is a general course on cybersecurity. Networking is not a prerequisite and will be reviewed, the department has a separate course on cryptography.
The tentative course schedule is in the syllabus and maintained only at https://www.grotto-networking.com/CyberSecurity/CyberSec.html
Computer Security Fundamentals, 4th Edition, Dr. Chuck Easttom, 2020.
(ISC)2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide, 8th Edition by Darril Gibson; James M Stewart; Mike Chapple Published by Sybex, 2018.
Learn Kali Linux 2019, Glen D. Singh, Packt Publishing, November 2019, ISBN: 9781789611809.
Supplemental Readings, Podcasts, and Videos may be assigned throughout the course.
Laptop or desktop running modern version of Windows, MacOS, or Linux.
Ability to install required Open Source (free) security/development tools
Network connectivity and bandwidth: This course will be using Zoom for online course lectures and office hours.
your development environment is your responsibility!
I cannot configure your computer for you.
I will encourage students to help each other with their development environments.
Most problems encountered with computers, software, or networks do not excuse late submissions of assignments or exams.
Every programmer should be using version control for all but the smallest projects. In this class we will use git.
We also need a way to privately share many files between student and teacher/grader. For this we will use GitHub classroom.
Use is required for all submissions of homework and possibly exams.
I recommend using a good code editor with Markdown support for this course. Free editors include:
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
Apply Cybersecurity requirements to computer systems, networks, and applications.
Utilize security applications and tools to creatively solve security problems.
Recognize and distinguish the mechanisms, components and architecture of cybersecurity systems.
Analyze Cybersecurity problems, and identify and define the resources and requirements needed for its solution.
Demonstrate communication skills in both written and oral form, work in a team environment, and independently/collaboratively acquire new cybersecurity skills through analysis of current computer science literature and industrial practices.
Problems sets will be generally be assigned on a bi-weekly basis and will be posted on the course website with a reminder sent through Blackboard.
We will be using GitHub classroom for almost all the work in this class.
Assignment submission will consist of a commit/push of programming resources to your private class repository on the properly named branch prior to the deadline.
No email submissions or Blackboard submissions will be accepted!
Repository branch names will be given with the assignment and must be followed exactly or the assignment will not be graded.
A randomly selected subset or all of the problems will be graded for each assignment.
Note: Questions will be added to assignments up to a week before the assignment is due, i.e., assignments will most likely be updated after initial posting. It is your responsibility to check for updates to the assignments.
There will be one midterm examination. Wednesday March 10th, 2021. This will be a time limited exam coordinated via Blackboard.
In the second half of the course a security related programming project or research report on an approved topic will be assigned.
Students may be required to use the TURNITIN application in blackboard to submit their assignments. FYI, TURNITIN application has plagiarism filter built in. When students submit their assignments TURNITIN application prepares an ORIGINALITY report. Students can see this report immediately. Originality reports which have a score greater then and equal to 40% WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. These assignments will get 0 points. If the originality report is higher then 80%, instructor will file a plagiarism report.
This will be a time limited exam administered via Blackboard. Date and time: 10:15AM-12:15PM Monday May 10, 2021 per CSUEB final exam schedule.
Class participation credit can be earned in a number of ways:
Outside of class sessions class participation credit can be earned by:
30% assignments, 15% midterm, 30% code Project/Report, 15% final, 10% class participation. No extra credit will be assigned.
The grading scale is as follows: A 92.5%, A- 90.0%, B+ 87.5%, B 82.5%, B- 80.0%, C+ 77.5%, C 72.5%, C- 70.0%, D+ 67.5%, D 60.0%, F lower than 60%
Office hours are shared amongst the many students in my class. Most times demand for my attention is moderate, but when there are many students waiting I will need to limit each students time to try to accommodate as many students as possible.
I will be encouraging students to help each other during office hours. Such assistance to your fellow students counts as “class participation”
We live in a multi-cultural world! At US universities there are certain customs and protocols that are typically observed.
“I have doubts on XYZ” sounds to native English speakers that you may not consider “XYZ” valid or good in some sense.
What is typically intended is “I do not understand XYZ”, and even better yet let me know the details of exactly you don’t understand.
By enrolling in this class the student agrees to uphold the standards of academic integrity described at https://www.csueastbay.edu/aps/academic-policies/academic-dishonesty.html.
Although collaborative study and dialogue are encouraged, students are expected to author solutions entirely on their own.
If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, or if you would need assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation, please contact me as soon as possible. Students with disabilities needing accommodation should speak with the Accessibility Services.
California State University, East Bay is committed to being a safe and caring community. Your appropriate response in the event of an emergency can help save lives. Information on what to do in an emergency situation (earthquake, electrical outage, fire, extreme heat, severe storm, hazardous materials, terrorist attack) may be found at: http://www20.csueastbay.edu/af/departments/risk-management/ehs/emergency-management/index.html Please be familiar with these procedures. Information on this page is updated as required. Please review the information on a regular basis.
Title IX and CSU policy prohibit discrimination, harassment and retaliation, including Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment or Sexual Violence. CSUEB encourages anyone experiencing such behavior to report their concerns immediately. CSUEB has both confidential and non-confidential resources and reporting options available to you. Non-confidential resources include faculty and staff, who are required to report all incidents and thus cannot promise confidentiality. Faculty and staff must provide the campus Title IX coordinator and or the DHR Administrator with relevant details such as the names of those involved in an incident. For confidential services, contact the Confidential Advocate at 510-885-3700 or go to the Student Health and Counseling Center. For 24-hour crisis services call the BAWAR hotline at 510-845-7273. For more information about policies and resources or reporting options, please visit the following websites: https://www.csueastbay.edu/riskmanagement/complaint.html, http://www.csueastbay.edu/titleix
The University is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy living and learning environment for students, faculty, and staff. Each member of the campus community should choose behaviors that contribute toward this end http://www.csueastbay.edu/studentconduct/student-conduct.html.