==================
Course Information
==================

.. toctree::
   :hidden:

\* Course syllabus can be found
`here <_static/cs6324.001-s25-syllabus.pdf>`__
(including the grading scale and expected course schedule).

------------------
Course description
------------------

A comprehensive study of the principles and practices of computer
systems security including operating systems security,
software security, network security, and web security.
Topics include common attacking techniques such as virus, trojan,
worms and memory exploits; applied cryptography and key management;
intrusion detection and security analytics; trusted computing;
access control; password protection; and legal and ethical issues
in computer security.

----------------------
Instructor information
----------------------

- `Chung Hwan Kim <https://chungkim.io/>`__
- Email address: chungkim 'at' utdallas 'dot' edu
- Office hours: Mon 12-1pm
  (this could be changed at the instructor's discretion)
- Location: `ECSS 3.201 <https://locator.utdallas.edu/ECSS_3.201>`__

--------------
TA information
--------------

- `Kunal Mukherjee <https://personal.utdallas.edu/~kunal.mukherjee/>`__
- Email address: kunal.mukherjee 'at' utdallas 'dot' edu
- Office hours: Wed 10am-12pm
  (this could be changed at the TA's discretion)
- Location: `ECSS 2.104A1 <https://locator.utdallas.edu/ECSS_2.104A1>`__

---------------------------
Class meetings and modality
---------------------------

- Modality: **Traditional**
- When: MW 4-5:15pm
- Where: `GR 2.530 <https://locator.utdallas.edu/GR_2.530>`__
- Video recordings of the class will **NOT** be provided

-------------
Prerequisites
-------------

Students are required to satisfy the following prerequisites:

- Algorithm Analysis and Data Structures (CS 5343)
- Operating System Concepts (CS 5348)

Optionally, the course project would require students with the
following skills:

- Familiarity with command line Unix/Linux
- Understanding and debugging a C/C++ program (e.g., using GDB)
- Basic Java, PHP and SQL (tutorials will be provided)
- Basic understanding on how a program executes at low machine
  instructions and operating systems levels
  (e.g., basic level of IA-32 assemblies,
  how a process is created, and how system calls are handled)

------------------------------------
Student learning objectives/outcomes
------------------------------------

Students shall be able to understand what are the common threats faced
today, what are the foundational theory behind information security,
what are the basic principles and techniques when designing a secure
system, how to think adversarially, how today's attacks and defenses
work in practice, how to assess threats for their significance, and
how to gauge the protections and limitations provided by today's
technology.

After completing the course, students are expected to gain
the abilities to:

- Understand and explain fundamental security concepts
- Understand common threats and recognize vulnerabilities of information
  systems
- Understand and apply cryptographic algorithms
- Understand and apply security policies

--------------
Grading policy
--------------

- Projects (60%): 3 projects (20% each)
- Quizzes (40%): 4 quizzes (10% each)
- No midterm or final exam
- Extra credits: challenging questions during class (1-2% each)

------------------------
Evaluation & late policy
------------------------

* Projects and quizzes will be evaluated on a 100-point scale
  (0-100).
* Late project submission will be penalized 10 points per day
  (24-hour period).

-------------------------------------------
COVID-19 guidelines
-------------------------------------------

- `COVID-19 Guidelines and Resources <https://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies>`__.
- `COIVD-19 Response FAQ <https://covid.utdallas.edu/response/faq>`__.

------------------
Academic integrity
------------------

.. important::

    **Cheating vs. collaboration**

    Collaboration is a very good thing. On the other hand, cheating is
    considered a very serious offense and is vigorously prosecuted.
    Vigorous prosecution requires that you be advised of
    the cheating policy of the course before the offending act.

    For this semester, the policy is simple: don't cheat:
        - *Never* share code or text on the homeworks and projects.
        - *Never* use someone else's code or text in your solutions.
        - *Never* consult potential solutions on the Internet (including copying code from GitHub or ChatGPT).

    On the other hand, for this class, you are strongly encouraged to:
        - Share ideas.
        - Explain your code to someone to see if they know why it doesn't work.
        - Help someone else debug if they've run into a wall.

    If you obtain help of any kind, always **write the name(s) of your sources**.

    (ref. http://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse451/15au/)

----------------
Online resources
----------------

- `Course website <https://crs.s3lab.io/cs6324/2025/spring>`__
- `eLearning <https://elearning.utdallas.edu/ultra/courses/_375707_1/cl/outline>`__
- `MS Teams <https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3AA_nYvSP6gXZf3a9zoeQnROwjMWXuHu9S5JUE8SGKlZc1%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=3a512071-4cfe-4e4c-900a-48c01286ba20&tenantId=8d281d1d-9c4d-4bf7-b16e-032d15de9f6c>`__

--------------
Acknowledgment
--------------

The materials used in this course are largely based
on those originally developed for `Prof. Ninghui Li <https://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/ninghui/>`__'s class at Purdue University.