USC Computer Science 530 (CSci 530): Security Systems - Fall 2009

Lecture Friday - 9:00 to 11:45 AM, OHE 122
Clifford Neuman

• Syllabus and Reading List

Course Summary

• Discuss the technical, business, societal, and ethical aspects of probems in computer security.
• Describe and assess a broad range of security systems deployed or suggested for solving those problems.
• Understand the fundamental mathematics and engineering underlying security systems.
• Judge the suitability of security systems for particular applications.
• Know how to develop new security systems and features.

Pre-Requisites - The student should have already taken CS 402 or passed the department's operating system diagnostic exam.

Textbook

• Bishop, Computer Security: Art and Science, Addison-Wesley Professional, 1st Edition. ISBN 0201440997
  (required - it is available from the USC Book Store, or online from many sources.)

Instructors and Assistants

Clifford Neuman
• Office: Information Sciences Institute - 310-448-8736
• Office hours: 12:55 - 1:55 PM on Fridays - SAL-212 - 213-821-4221 or by appointment
• Email: csci530 at usc.edu (to Instructor and TAs)
• Email: csci530f09 at clifford.neuman.name (to just instructor)

Shreyas Nangalia (Course Producer)
• Meet the Producer - Monday, Wednesday 1:30 to 3:00 PM SAL 222 (or 322 on 9/16 and 9/23)
• Email: csci530 at usc dot edu (to Instructor and Producers)
• Email: nangalia at usc dot edu (to Producers)

Assignments

• Assignment #1 - Due 23 September 2009
• Assignment #2 - Due 28 October 2009
• Assignment #3 - Due 18 November 2009
• Research Paper Proposal - Due 12 October 2009
• Research Paper - Due 4 December 2009
• Weekly Lab assignments

Assignments

• Three Assignments will be assigned plus
• A research paper plus

Course Grade Components

The course grade will be based on 3 short homework assignments (15 percent total), several hands on laboratory experiments (high pass, pass, low pass, fail), a midterm exam (25 percent), a written paper or project (30 percent), and a final exam (30 percent). The final exam is cumulative, meaining it will cover all of course material, although there will be an emphasis on the second half of the course (after the midterm). The labs are required (you must complete 8 of 10) but does not directly figure into your grade. Cumulative lab scores of high pass or low pass can provide extra credit, or negatively impact up to 15% of your grade. Up to a 10% bonus will be applied for significant class participation determined based on constructive participation in lecture or in the online discussion boards.

The paper assignment will ask for an 8-12 page paper discussing in detail the implementation and implications of either an existing security system, or one proposed by the student. Other paper topics or projects may be approved by the instructor. The paper or project must constitute work completed for CSci530, although topics may be chosen so that the paper or project forms the basis of future work by the student. Papers or projects are to be the individual work of the student. The tentative due date for the paper will be the last lecture for the class. Paper proposals will be due some time in the first half of October.

As they are graded and returned, letter grades will be assigned for each component of the course grade. The final course grade will be calculated twice, once as a weighted average of the individual component grades, and then with an extra 10% weight calculated as an "A+" for class participation. You actual course grade will fall somewhere between these two numbers, depending on your actual participation in class, lab, and in the online discussion forums. It will be to your advantage to make useful contributions to discussion in the online forum, as that is the record of class participation that is most readily reviewed by me at the end of the semester.

Academic Integrity

As an instructor I take academic integrity seriously. Cases of academic misconduct will result in the assignment of a failing grade for the class and referal of the matter to the student conduct office. In each of the past several years I have turned in multiple students for cheating and assigned failing grades. Information on what constitutes academic dishonesty can be found on the CSci530 academic integrity page, and by following links to university resources found on that page.

Other readings

Other readings will be assigned with links to online version provided from the syllabus on this page. Where the online papers are available through the ACM or IEEE digital libraries, you may retrieve them using USC's subscription if you connect from a USC internet address. When accessing these papers from home, you may need to use USC's VPN to obtain a USC Internet address that allows retrieval of the documents. For more information on VPN access visit the USC ITS VPN page.

Course content

• Syllabus and Reading List
• Discussion boards and webcasts of lectures avalable by logging in to DEN
• Links to supplementary readins in the Syllabus.
• Links to lecture sides will be posted by the night before lecture and linked from the Syllabus.

  Lab Instruction on Fridays - 4:30 - 5:20 PM
  Time for hands on lab activities to be selected
  by students in coordination with lab instructor.

Exams from Prior years

The following are copies of the exams from prior years which may be used to help prepare for this years mid-term and final.
• Mid-Term Fall 2003
• Mid-Term Fall 2004
• Mid-Term Fall 2005
• Mid-Term Fall 2006
• Mid-Term Fall 2007
• Mid-Term Fall 2008
• Final Fall 2003
• Final Fall 2004
• Final Fall 2005
• Final Fall 2006
• Final Fall 2007
• Final Fall 2008