Information Systems Security

Catalog description

This course provides a principled introduction to information systems security, designed to help students think rigorously about both cyber threats and the defenses developed to counter them. The course covers cryptographic foundations, system and network security, and software vulnerabilities with the goal of developing the analytical instincts needed to reason about unfamiliar security challenges as the threat landscape evolves. Real-world issues such as malware, authentication exploits, and protocol vulnerabilities are used throughout to connect formal concepts from cryptography, network theory, and systems design with practical scenarios. By the end of the course, students gain an understanding not only of what works in security, but also why those approaches are effective. Prerequisites: INFO 501 and INFO 502. Typically offered once every academic year.