CSCE 522 Information Security Principles

Fall 2024

Sections 001/H10: Tuesday, Thursday 1:15 – 2:30 pm

Section J60: APOGEE class

Instructor: Csilla Farkas

Office: Horizon II, 2253

Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 12:30 – 1:00 pm and 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm in-person or by appointment

E-mail: farkas@cec.sc.edu

Class homepage: http://cse.sc.edu/~farkas/csce522/csce522.htm

Graduate TA: Sambit Mukherjee

Office: TBA

Office Hours: TBA

Email: sambit@email.sc.edu

Academic Bulletin Description:

Threats to information resources and appropriate countermeasures. Cryptography, identification and authentication, access control models and mechanisms, multilevel database security, steganography, Internet security, and intrusion detection and prevention.

Prerequisites: CSCE 146; MATH 374 or MATH 174

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Identify common risks, threats, and countermeasures related to computing systems.

2. Apply knowledge of computer security to personal computer use.

3. Analyze computing situations with respect to security risks, threats, and countermeasures, including the tradeoffs between security and system functionality.

4. Work with others to design and/or implement security measures.

Text Books

1. Charles P.Pfleeger, Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, and Lizzie Coles-Kemp, Security in Computing (6th Edition, August 5, 2023), Prentice Hall PTR; ISBN-10: ‎0137891210, ISBN-13: 978-0137891214

2. Online resources from publicly available or UofSC licensed resources

Course Logistics

Lectures slides, homework and project assignments, and announcements will be posted in MS Teams. All class assignments and tests will be handled electronically. Students expected to use MS Teams for class related materials and assignment submissions.

Assignment Grading: Solutions and grades for assignments will be returned within a week of due date (assuming the assignment is turned in on time).

Assignments:

Homework assignments: there will be 8-10 homework assignments during the semester. Graduate and Honors students will have two additional assignments.
Exams: two in-class, open book exams (Midterm1 and Midterm 2) that will cover the course materials. Graduate and Honors students will have additional questions for each exam for full credit.
Group Project: Students will form groups to study a cybersecurity topic of their choosing. The project must include survey of research papers, some programing component, presentation of research results, and a final write up. Further information will be distributed.

Grading:

Assignments contribution to the final grade:

Homework assignments: 30%, Midterm1: 25%, Midterm 2: 25%, Project: 20%

Undergraduate students will have 100 possible points. Final grade will be assigned based on the percentage of points achieved by the students as follows.

Final grade: A = ≥ 90% C = 70-74%

(undergraduates) B+= 85-89% D+= 65-69%

B = 80-84% D = 60-64%

C+= 75-79% F = < 60%

Graduate students will have 120 possible points. Final grade will be assigned based on the percentage of points achieved by the students as follows.

Final grade: A = ≥ 90% C = 70-74%

(graduates) B+= 85-89% D+= 65-69%

B = 80-84% D = 60-64%

C+= 75-79% F = < 60%

Course Policies

Attendance: Section 001 and H10 students are expected to attend the in-person lectures. Exceptions are granted based on circumstances outside of the students’ control, e.g., illness, family emergencies, travel requirements, etc.

Tardiness, late assignments: homework is due at midnight on the due date (submitted via dropbox.cse.sc.edu). Late assignments will be charged 20% per day. Dates for the exams are announced at the beginning of the semester and posted on the class’ website. Students must complete the exams as scheduled unless impeding circumstances outside of their control. Such circumstances must be clearly documented.

Policy on disabilities or special needs_: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. Students, you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, contact the Student Disability Resource Center: 803-777-6142, TDD 803-777-6744, email sasds@mailbox.sc.edu , or stop by LeConte College Room 112A. All accommodations must be approved through the Office of Student Disability Services. See https://www.sa.sc.edu/sds/.

Violations of academic honesty: Homework assignments and exams are expected to be the sole effort of the student submitting the work. All students are expected to practice the highest possible standards of academic integrity. Any deviation from this expectation will result in a minimum academic penalty of your failing the assignment and will result in additional disciplinary measures including referring you to the Office of Academic Integrity. Violations of the University's Honor Code include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, falsification, complicity, and any other form of academic misrepresentation. For more information, see https://www.sa.sc.edu/academicintegrity/

Diversity: To learn, we must be open to the views of people different that ourselves. In this time we share together over the semester, please honor the uniqueness of your fellow classmates and appreciate the opportunity we have to learn from one another. Please respect each other’s opinions and refrain from personal attacks or demeaning comments of any kind. Finally, remember to keep confidential all issues of a personal or professional nature that are discussed in class.