CSE508: Network Security

Tue, Thu 7:00pm–8:20pm, Frey Hall 100
Instructor: Michalis Polychronakis, office hours: Tue, Thu 5:30pm–7:00pm, NCS 355
Teaching Assistants: Shachee Mishra, Hyungjoon Koo, office hours: Thu 4:00pm–6:00pm, NCS 346
Communication: Piazza

Overview

The course will cover a wide range of topics in network security and online privacy, trying to strike a balance between core concepts and recent advancements. Although clearly distinguishing between “systems” and “network” security is often challenging, our focus will be on technologies, protocols, attacks, and defenses most closely related to the network rather than the endpoints. Some of the topics we will explore include: core network protocols, eavesdropping, scanning, DoS attacks, firewalls, VPNs, proxies, intrusion detection, forensics, honeypots, encrypted communication, authentication, services and applications, botnets, targeted attacks, exfiltration, privacy, anonymity. This is only an indicative list, and there is room for the inclusion of more topics depending on individual interests—please do not hesitate to send your suggestions.

We will follow a mixed format of lectures, research paper discussions, and hands-on sessions. Students are expected to read any assigned papers before class, and participate in the online and in-class discussions. Other requirements include four programming assignments and two exams.

Grading

Assignments: 45%
Midterm: 20%
Final: 35%

Study Material

There is no required textbook. The following books are recommended:

Charlie Kaufman, Radia Perlman and Mike Speciner. Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World, Second Edition, Prentice Hall PTR, 2002, ISBN 0130460192.
William R. Cheswick, Steven M. Bellovin, and Aviel D Rubin. Firewalls and Internet Security: Repelling the Wily Hacker, Second Edition, Addison-Wesley Professional, 2003, ISBN 020163466X.
Alfred J. Menezes, Paul C. van Oorschot and Scott A. Vanstone. Handbook of Applied Cryptography, CRC Press, ISBN 0849385237.
Ross Anderson. Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems, Second Edition, Wiley, ISBN 0470068523.

Additionally, there will be recommended readings for each lecture—see the schedule.

University Policies

Disability Support Services

If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, room 128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Academic Integrity

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website.

Critical Incident Management

Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures.