SRA 221: Overview of Information Security

University Park

Spring 2018

Syllabus

Class Time & Room	Tu & TH 1:35 pm – 2:50 pm; E205 Westgate
Course Schedule	Click this link

 

Instructor	Professor Peng Liu
Office	E330 Westgate
Office Hours	Wednesday: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm or by appointment
Phone / Fax	(814) 863-0641 / 865-6426
E-mail	pliu@ist.psu.edu

 

TA	Pinyao Guo
Office	E393 Westgate
Office Hours	NA
Phone	NA
E-mail	pug132@ist.psu.edu

 

Course Overview:
 

SRA is an introductory course on information security. It is a required core course for all SRA majors. The objective of the course is to provide the students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental issues and concepts of information security, and the mainstream information security technologies that are widely used in the real world.  The course will cover the following topics: 

 

·       Firewalls

·       Basics of Cryptography

·       Authentication

·       Virtual Private Networks

·       Introduction to cyber-attacks

·       Intrusion Detection

 

These topics will not only be covered by lectures, but also by several hands-on attack-defense labs. These labs are individual assignments, not group assignments. More details about these hands-on labs can be found in the Assignments section of the Penn State Canvas website of this course.

In addition, a two-phase term project will be performed by each group of students to synthesize the knowledge and skills learned through the aforementioned topics.  More details about the term project can be found in the Assignments section of the Penn State Canvas website of this course. 

The prerequisite for the course is SRA 111: INTRODUCTION TO SECURITY AND RISK ANALYSIS.

Course Objectives:

The objectives of this course are as follows:

• To understand the fundamental concepts and issues of information security
• To understand the mainstream information security technologies
• To understand how real world enterprises are attacked
• To be able to apply information security knowledge to defend against a set of widely known cyber-attacks.

Course Materials:

Required Reading Materials:

·       Peng Liu, Reading Materials for Basic Cybersecurity Concepts (new edition), 2017  

Other Materials:

• Charles P. Pfleeger, Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, Security in Computing, Prentice Hall, 2007 (4^th Edition), ISBN 0-13-239-077-9.
• William Stallings, Cryptography and Network Security, 4^th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006, ISBN 0-13-187316-4.
• Matt Bishop, Introduction to Computer Security, Addison-Wesley, 2004
• Bruce Schneier, Applied Cryptography, Second Edition, Wiley, 1996, ISBN 0-471-11709-9. 
• Dieter Gollmann, Computer Security, Wiley, 1999, ISBN 0-471-97844-2.

Examinations and Assignments:

This course will have:

• 9 quizzes.  Every quiz will be an open book take-home quiz. A quiz may include three types of questions: multiple choices, true or false, and short answers. A tentative schedule for the quizzes can be found in the Course Schedule. 
• 3 hands-on labs.  These labs are virtual labs. These labs are individual assignments, not group assignments. A report written by each individual student is required for each lab. More details about these hands-on labs can be found in the Assignments section of the Penn State Canvas website of this course.   
• 1 term project. This is a group assignment. Each group is expected to have 3 or 4 members. The term project has two phases: the proposal phase and the final report phase. Each phase will result in a document.  Finally, each team should do a presentation about their project during the last week.  More details about the term project can be found in the Assignments section of the Penn State Canvas website of this course.

 

Grading:

Assignment Type	Weight
Attendance	15%
9 Open Book Quizzes    -- Each quiz 4.88%	44%
3 Lab Reports    --Each report 7%	21%
Term Project    -- Proposal 6%    -- Final report 11%    -- Presentation 3%	20%
TOTAL	100%

 

Grading Scale
Grades will be assigned based on the following scale:

 Course Policies:

Classes, Exams, and Assignments:

·        Quizzes: There will be NO make-up quizzes unless an official excuse (document) is submitted and pre-approved by the instructor. The quizzes are NOT accumulative.

·        Reports: Each lab or term-project phase includes a report. The submission of each report has a due day (see the Course Schedule).  

·       Late Policy: Starting right after the required submission date of any report, 20% of the grade will be deducted per day up to two days. NO points will be given to submissions more than two days late. A documented chronic condition which could affect this policy must be immediately brought to the attention of the instructor.

·       Attendance: Attendance of students to all classes is required. 

·        Readings: Students are expected to read the materials that will be discussed in the class before the class meeting.

       Academic Integrity: 

·        According to the Penn State Principles and University Code of Conduct: Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at Penn State University, allowing the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner.  In according with the University’s Code of Conduct, you must not engage in or tolerate academic dishonesty.  This includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person, or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.

·        Any violation of academic integrity will be investigated, and where warranted, punitive action will be taken.  For every incident when a penalty of any kind is assessed, a report must be filed.  This form is used for both undergraduate and graduate courses.  This report must be signed by both the instructor and the student, and then submitted to the Dean’s office.

           Affirmative Action & Sexual Harassment: 

·        The Pennsylvania State University is committed to a policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by Commonwealth or Federal authorities.  Penn State does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, gender, sexual orientation, or veteran status.  Direct all inquiries to the Affirmative Action Office, 211 Willard Building.

          Americans with Disabilities Act:

·        IST welcomes persons with disabilities to all of its classes, programs, and events.  If you need accommodations, or have questions about access to buildings where IST activities are held, please contact us in advance of your participation or visit.  If you need assistance during a class, program, or event, please contact the member of our staff or faculty in charge.

          An Invitation to Students with Learning Disabilities: 

·        It is Penn State’s policy to not discriminate against qualified students with documented disabilities in its educational programs.  If you have a disability-related need for modifications in your testing or learning situation, your instructor should be notified during the first week of classes so that your needs can be accommodated.  You will be asked to present documentation from the Office of Disability Services (located in 116 Bouclé Building, 863-1807) that describes the nature of your disability and the recommended remedy.  You may refer to the Nondiscrimination Policy in the Student Guide to University Policies and Rules.