Course Title

EECS710: Information Security and Assurance - Fall 2009
Thursday, 7:10-10:00 PM, Room RH 156 (Course Number: 44681)
Course Web Site: people.eecs.ku.edu/~saiedian/Teaching

Prerequisites and Expected Audience.   This course is intended for graduate students in MSIT or computer science programs as well as for IT professionals. Graduate standing in MSIT or equivalent and/or industrial experience in IT is assumed.

Instructor

Professor Hossein Saiedian
Teaching Office: 125J (Edwards Campus)
Research Office: 155 Nichols (Lawrence Campus)
Telephone 897-8515 (Lawrence: 864-8211)
E-Mail: saiedian@eecs.ku.edu
WWW: people.eecs.ku.edu/~saiedian
Office Hours: Wed. and Thur. 1:00-3:00 PM (and by appointment)

Course Overview

We will explore and survey important issues related to the provision of information and computer security and will provide an overview of the security problems, fundamental principles, and the technical aspects of computer security as it relates to operating systems, databases, and computer networks. As usual, students are expected to conduct some independent study as described under the "special projects."

Catalog Course Description.   Critical information assets, information security, operating systems security, database security, network security, e-commerce security, security risks, encryption and cryptography, viruses, security management, security models.

Required Textbooks

William Stallings and Lawrie Brown, Computer Security: Principles and Practice, Prentice-Hall, 2008.

Matt Bishop, Introduction to Computer Security, Addison Wesley, 2005 (optional).

Please visit the textbooks' websites for updates and errata.

The order of chapter coverage may be different from the textbook. In addition to the materials from the main textbook, students are responsible for lecture notes, reading assignments, as well as items distributed during the classroom sessions. Important reading materials as well as lecture slides will be placed on the class website.

Evaluation Criteria (Subject to revision)

Students will be evaluated as follows:

• Grade Distribution

  Quizzes and Exams:	60%
  Assignments:	20%
  Special Project:	20%
• Grading Scale

  A =	90%..100%
  B =	80%..89%
  C =	70%..79%
  D =	60%..69%
• No make-up quizzes are given. No late work will be accepted. (Certain exceptions may be made for family emergencies, religious observance, and illnesses.)
• All written work must be typed. It is OK to draw diagrams by hand and then scan them, but they must be legible.

Special Project Options

The "special project" provides an opportunity for each student to become expert in an area related to the topic of the course. It can include a term paper or a thorough, workshop-like presentation that covers a related topic in-depth. A special project topic will have to be approved. Details are provided separately.

Those who would like to write a term paper may choose an applied research topic, e.g., an evaluation or comparison of certain methodologies for a real case study (or a reconstruction of a case study reported in literature). Another option is to make an objective evaluation of several research projects tackling the same problem. Other ideas are welcome. Guidelines for "writing a term paper" as well as "making a presentation" have to be strictly followed. See the class' website.

Important Dates

• First Class Day: Thursday August 20
• Labor Day: Monday September 7
• Exam 1: Thursday September 24
• Fall Break: Thursday October 15-Sunday October 18th
• Exam 2: Thursday November 5
• Thanksgiving Break: Wed. November 25-Sun. November 29
• Last Class Day: Thursday December 10
• Comprehensive Final Exam: Thursday December 16, 7:00-9:00 PM

Attendance

Attendance is important and required. If a student misses a class session, he or she will be entirely responsible for learning the materials missed without the benefit of a private lecture on the instructor's part. Furthermore, the student will be responsible for finding out what assignments may have been given and when they are due.

We will have both instructor and students' presentations each week. Students are expected to read assigned articles from the textbook or the reading list. Students are expected to actively participate in classroom discussions, make presentations, and regularly make contributions such as offering comments, asking interesting questions, and responding with good answers.

Additional Reading Requirements

The textbook is an excellent survey and tutorial resource. Most up-to-date topics on information and computer security can be found in technical journals and recent conference proceedings. Students should develop a habit of regularly browsing such journals as IEEE Software, IEEE Computer, and Communications of the ACM.

E-Mail Communication

E-mail communication is fast, flexible, and effective. You are expected to have an email account on an ku.edu server or another machine and regularly check it. Important classroom items will be communicated via email. Please send your email address tonight in a one-liner email message with the following information only:

Email Subject: EECS710 Student Information
Email Body: EECS710 Fall 2009, Name, Email Address, Tel Number

Please exclude any other information (e.g., "signature" files) from your email message, otherwise it may not be properly  processed. Telephone numbers will be helpful if I need to contact you in cases where email may not be most effective.

Do not send email in HTML format; it will not be processed. Unless you are specifically asked to send a document (which must be in PDF format), send text-only emails in text-only format. Do not send attachments in any other format but PDF. See the Guidelines for Submitting Electronic Documents.

Videotapes

A number of videotapes have been prepared for show in the classroom (if time allows). Students are expected to take notes during each video presentation.

Lecture Notes/Additional Readings

Lecture Notes

Additional Readings