CS461 Course Overview - Spring 2007

Course Title and Description

CS461 (aka. CS498IA3/IA4): Introduction to Computer Security

This course gives a broad introduction to the major topics in computer and communications security and information assurance. The objective of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of information assurance and the solutions that exist to secure information on computers and networks.

Instructor

Prof. Nikita Borisov
Office: 460 Coordinated Science Lab
Phone: 244-5385
Email: nikita@uiuc.edu
Office Hours: 10am – 12pm Tuesdays

Website

http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/class/fa06/cs498ia/.

Newsgroup

class.cs498ia on news.cs.uiuc.edu. Visit http://news.cs.uiuc.edu/ for instructions on how to read this newsgroup. Please post all general questions about lectures and homeworks on the newsgroup rather than emailing the instructor so that others get the benefit of your questions. (Exception: do not post your homework solutions to the newsgroup.) You should also monitor this newsgroup for answers to your classmates' questions and other clarifications and announcements.

Grading Policy

CS498IA3CS498IA4
Homeworks20%15%
Midterms (2)20% each15% each
Final40%30%
ProjectN/A25%

Deadlines

Homeworks will be due on Tuesdays at the beginning of class. If you need an extension, you may have an automatic extension until the beginning of class on Thursday. However, you may not ask questions of the instructor or on the newsgroup after Tuesday's class, so try not to use the extension unless you really need it. At the beginning of Thursday's class the solutions will be handed out, so if you do not have the homework in before then, you will receive a zero grade.

Extra Unit Students

Graduate students may take this course for 4 hours instead of 3. Those students taking the 4-hour version will do a term paper in addition to the regular course work. Undergraduates must take the 3-hour option only.

Textbook

The primary textbook used for this course is:

Other textbooks on computer and communication security: