Computer Science @ UC Davis | Course Descriptions

ECS 155 COMPUTER SECURITY FOR NON-MAJORS (4) I

Lecture: 3 hours

Discussion: 1 hour

Prerequisite: Programming skill at the level of course 15

Grading: Letter; homework (50%), midterm (20%), final (30%)

Catalog Description:
Principles, mechanisms, implementation, and sound practices of computer security and data protection. Cryptography. Authentication and access control. Internet security. Malicious software. Common vulnerabilities. Practical security in everyday life. No credit allowed to students who have completed course 153.

Expanded Course Description:

Introduction: security, assurance
World Wide Web: browsers, computer viruses and worms, firewalls, networks
Privacy: data protection, sanitization, encryption, secure email
Society and Computer Security: e-voting, social networking, e-commerce, home computing, mobile computing (phones, smart devices)
Doctors, Lawyers, and Regulations: electronic medical records, forensics, government regulations such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley
How Do You Know It Works: analyzing systems, vulnerabilities, defenses, secure coding
Cybercrime, cyberwarfare, and cyber-terrorism
Miscellaneous: virtual computing, cloud computing

Textbook:
None; handouts will be provided

Computer Usage:
Students will use computers to examine how security works in practice. They will write some simple programs using Python or another language of their choice.

ABET Category Content:
Engineering Science: 0 units
Engineering Design: 0 units

Goals
Students will:

be introduced to the principles, mechanisms and implementation of computer security
learn how to be skeptical of claims and ask questions to better understand them
learn how to defend against them
llearn subject areas relating to security
learn about computer security and assurance in daily life

Instructor: M. Bishop, S. Peisert

Prepared by: S. Peisert (July 2010)

Overlap Statement:
The content of this course overlaps some of the content of course 153, but is intended for non-majors, many of whom have limited computer experience. The coverage of this course is broader, more applied, and goes into less theoretical and technical depth, than course 153.

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