CSCI 454/554 Computer and Network Security (Spring 2008)


Course Description

This is an upper-level undergraduate, first-year graduate course on network and computer security. This course introduces the principles and practices of cryptography, network security, and secure software.

The first half of the lecture content covers basic cryptographic methods, key distribution, and protocols for authenticated and confidential communications. Topics include block and stream ciphers, confidentiality, traffic analysis, key distribution, random number generation, public key cryptography, RSA, public key certificates, key distribution, Needham-Schroeder protocol, Diffie-Hellman key exchange, one-way hash functions, message authentication codes, birthday attack, MD5, SHA-1, HMAC, digital signatures, mutual authentication, and replay attacks.

The latter half of the lecture content addresses the practice of network security. Topics include Kerberos, PGP, public key infrastructures, SSL/TLS, IP security, intrusion detection, password management, firewall, virus and worms, and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. The lecture will be conducted in an interactive fashion. A group of two or three students will identify and work on a research project. Plus, there will be about five homework assignments, and midterm and final exams


Course Information

Instructor: Haining Wang
Email-ID AT cs.wm.edu: hnw

Time: TR 3:30pm - 4:50pm
Location: McGlothlin-Street Hall 020
Office Hours: TR 1:00pm - 3:00pm, McGlothlin-Street Hall, #105


Teaching Assistant: Duy Le
Email-ID AT cs.wm.edu: duy
Office Hours: MW 4:00pm - 6:00pm McGlothlin-Street Hall, #108


Grading Policy (tentative)

Grades will be computed as follows: 
    15% Homeworks  
    25% Term Project (project guideline
    25% Mid-term Exam 
    35% Final Exam 

Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with basic networking protocols.
  • Required textbooks (available at online bookstores)

    Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, Fourth Edition
    William Stallings
    Pearson Prentice Hall

    Supplementary textbooks

    Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems
    Ross Anderson
    Wiley Computer Publishing