Theory and Practice of Secure Systems

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CS 380S - Theory and Practice of Secure Systems (55815)

Fall 2008

Time and place Tue and Thu, 3:30-5pm, PAI 3.14

Instructor

Vitaly Shmatikov
Email: shmat AT cs Office: TAY 4.115C
Phone: 471-9530 Office hours: Tue, 5-6pm

TA

TBA

Grading Homeworks: 40%
Midterm: 15%
Course project: 45%

Last update: May 8

Course description

This course covers selected topics in system and network security, focusing in particular on (i) design and analysis of secure software systems, and (ii) privacy and privacy-enhancing technologies. Topics include, but are not limited to:

Software security
- Vulnerabilities and attacks on software systems
- Verification and analysis of secure software
Privacy
- Theoretical models of privacy
- Introduction to secure multi-party computation
- Database privacy and privacy-preserving data mining
- Anonymity networks

This is a project-oriented course. Students are expected to complete an independent project. A project may involve a significant implementation, using an analysis tool to investigate security of a real-world software system, or a substantial theoretical study.

Prerequisites

While there are no formal prerequisites for this course, students are expected to have the basic understanding of the following areas:

Computer systems (at the level of an undergraduate operating systems course);
Fundamental concepts in cryptography (such as cryptographically strong hash functions and public-key cryptosystems); and
Basic complexity theory (at the level of an undergraduate course in the theory of computation).

Course assignments, including homeworks, will involve reading and understanding state-of-the-art research papers in computer security.

Code of Conduct

UTCS Code of Conduct will be strictly enforced.