ISE 331 : Fundamentals of Computer Security
Stony Brook University, Spring 2023
Stony Brook University, Spring 2023
The course will introduce the concepts and terminology of computer security in addition to describing attacks against computer infrastructure and typical defenses against such attacks. The course will outline security policies and procedures used by enterprises and will introduce tools and techniques used by both attackers and defenders.
(https://www.cs.stonybrook.edu/students/Undergraduate-Studies/courses/ISE331)
The following are the official course goals agreed upon by the faculty for this course:
Be conversant with the terminology and concepts of computer security
Understand security threats to enterprise data
Be familiar with strategies used to protect enterprise data
Prof. Joydeep Mitra
131 New Computer Science, Stony Brook University
Office Hours:
Tuesdays & Thursdays: 6.30 PM - 8 PM.
Other times by appointment.
Email: jmitra@cs.stonybrook.edu
Teaching Assistants
TBD
The following topics will be covered in the lectures:
Intro to Security
General Security Concepts
CSI Study and Operational Security
People in Security
Cryptography
Public Key Infrastructure
Physical Security
Network Fundamentals
Infrastructure Security
Authentication
Intrusion Detection and Network Security
Attacks
Web Components
Legal, Ethical, and Privacy related Issues
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:45 AM – 11:05 AM in Comp Sci 2120, West Campus.
Lectures will be discussion-oriented. You will solve worksheets in teams designed to help you discover, explore, and apply a concept. You are expected to participate in discussions.
Lectures will not be recorded.
Principles of Computer Security: CompTIA Security + and Beyond, 5e, William Arthur Conklin, Greg White, Chuck Cothren, Roger Davis, Dwayne Williams, McGraw-Hill, 2018. ISBN: 978-1260026016
Assignments and lecture material closely follow chapters in the textbook. The textbook is recommended reading before every lecture.
The Piazza discussion board should be used for all communication with the teaching staff for questions about the course assignments and material. Email should be sent to individual instructors or teaching assistants only to schedule appointments.
Piazza is a forum for additional learning and assistance. The following are not appropriate uses of Piazza:
cyber-bullying
posting memes
complaining about a grade
airing concerns/comments/criticisms about the course
posting more than a few lines of source code from an attempt at a programming assignment
posting the solution to a programming assignment or a link to a website containing the solution
in general, anything unrelated to the course material and student learning
Therefore, students are expected to use the Piazza forum for all non-personal, course-related communication. Questions about what a programming assignment is asking, technical problems that need troubleshooting, or other questions that might be of interest to other students must be posted to Piazza and not emailed to the instructor or a TA.
If code is relevant to your Piazza question you may post only short code snippets. For more extensive help with reviewing or debugging your code, please visit office hours.
Be professional and respectful.
Begin your emails appropriately (e.g., Dear Prof. Mitra).
Email the course staff under the following circumstances:
Brightspace is not properly displaying a grade.
One cannot attend office hours and would like to set up an appointment to meet at another time. In this case, the student should include his/her availability for the upcoming week.
If a student needs to contact the course staff about a private matter. Examples include:
Making arrangements for disability accommodations.
To discuss private, personal matters that are impacting one's coursework such as physical or mental illness, death in the family, etc.
When emailing the instructor about the course, students should observe the following guidelines to ensure a timely response:
use one's official @stonybrook.edu email account
use a descriptive subject line that includes "CSE 316" and a brief note on the topic (e.g., "CSE 316: Appointment")
briefly explain one's question or concern or request
end with a proper closing that includes one's full name, Net ID, and SBU ID number
There will be one midterm exam and a cumulative final examination. All exams will be closed-book and closed-notes. The midterm and the final exam will be in person.
Tentative Examination Dates and Times:
Midterm Exam: Thursday, Mar 9 (4:45 PM - 6:05 PM).
Final Exam: Monday, May 15 (5.30 PM - 8 PM).
See Course Schedule in Brightspace for detailed class schedule.
Make-up exams will be given only in extenuating circumstances, such as a documented personal illness. In such cases, the student must inform the instructor about an anticipated absence before the day of the exam and provide supporting documentation to the Dean of Students Office (e.g., doctor's note stating that the student was ill and unfit to take the quiz or exam). Students who miss an exam for a valid reason will need to take a make-up exam, as appropriate. Specific arrangements will be made on a case-by-case basis. Make-up exams will not be made available to students who are absent due to job-related commitments, vacations, oversleeping, etc.
Homework will involve written essay-type questions on the concepts discussed in class. Students are expected to work on homework assignments independently. Offering or accepting solutions from others is an act of plagiarism, which is a serious offense. All parties involved in academically dishonest behavior will be penalized according to the Academic Integrity Policy provided below.
Labs will include practical problems involving the application of tools taught in lecture. Like homeworks, students are expected to work independently. While collaboration is encouraged, copying and sharing entire solutions will be considered academic dishonestu. All parties involved in academically dishonest behavior will be penalized according to the Academic Integrity Policy provided below.
Homeworks and Labs may be submitted late but will be penalized 1% of the maximum score for every 15 minutes that the work is late, up to 24 hours. Work more than 24 hours late will not be accepted for credit. Extensions or late submissions will otherwise not be permitted. If some sort of emergency prevents you from submitting your assignment on time, inform the instructor prior to the assignment deadline and meet with a representative from the Student Support Team about your circumstances. Note due to limited resources for grading, programs that do not compile or run for testing may not be graded. Students who take this course are often surprised by just how much time this course requires of them. You are advised to budget your time wisely and to start working on an assignment the day it is posted.
Re-grades
Any grading errors you believe you have found on a homework or lab submission must be emailed to jmitra@cs.stonybrook.edu with the subject line "ISE 3331: regrade request for Assignment X". Time is a precious commodity, so please do not spend instructor office hours or TA office hours arguing about points. Regrade requests must be made in writing no later than one week after graded work is returned to the class. Regrade requests that are made later than one week from the date the graded work is returned to the class will not be honored.
The final project will be deep dive into one of the topics covered in the course. Students are free to choose the topic after consultation with the instructor. The final project will culminate in a brief presentation followed by a Q&A session.
Most lectures will be designed around discussion. During lecture, students will form teams of 4 and solve the worksheet of the day. The worksheets will be designed to enable students discover, explore, and apply the concepts covered in this course. Students are expected to actively engage in these activities. Completing 90% or more worksheets will correspond to full participation credit.
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Homework: 15%
Practical Labs: 10%
Final Project: 30%
Class-participation: 5%
Course Grade Cutoffs: A [93-100], A- [90-93), B+ [87-90), B [83-87), B- [80-83), C+ [77-80), C [73-77), C- [70-73), D+ [67-70), D [63-67), F [0-63). Grade cutoffs might be adjusted at the end of the semester if warranted to curve the course grades. When the instructor computes the curved grades, lower bounds of ranges will never be increased.
All scores and course grades will be posted on Brightspace.
The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) offers a range of free tutoring services for students in CSE, AMS, and other courses. See the CEAS Undergraduate Student Office website for more information. For small group and one-on-one tutoring please inquire also at the Academic Success and Tutoring Center.
Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty is required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty please refer to the academic judiciary website at https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/academic_integrity.
All examinations will be closed-book. No electronic devices of any kind will be permitted to be used during exams. All cell phones must be silenced or turned off during exams. Any use of electronic devices, textbooks, or any other materials not explicitly permitted will constitute cheating.
Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology and Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website.
If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Student Accessibility Support Center, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building room 128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.
Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Student Accessibility Support Center. For procedures and information go to the following website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/fire/disabilities.
Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures.