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ECS 289M TOPICS IN COMPUTER SECURITY (4) III

Lecture: 3 hours

Project: 1 hour

Prerequisite: Course 150; 153 or 235A

Grading: Letter, homework (30%), project (40%), paper presentation (15%), general class participation (15%)

Catalog Description:
Advanced research topics in computer security, including the nature of vulnerabilities and flaws, methods of intrusion and attack detection, forensic analysis, defensive countermeasures, vulnerability analysis, the insider threat, and virtual machine introspection. We will look at these areas both as they appear in academic literature and in practice.

Goals:
Provide the basic tools for understanding of research topics in computer attack analysis and response, and computer forensics. Prepare students to understand and conduct research in these areas.

Expanded Course Description:

Topics will include:

  1. Host forensics
  2. Network forensics and traceback
  3. Filesystem forensics
  4. Deception and defensive countermeasures
  5. Virtual machine introspection and the "observer" effect
  6. The insider threat
  7. Vulnerability analysis

Textbook:
There will be no textbook for this course, that will instead be based on reading recent research papers and discussing the papers in class.

Project:
A project will be required. Projects will be devised by the students in consultation with the instructor. Projects which extend the students' existing research are encouraged.

Instructor: S. Peisert

Prepared by: S. Peisert (September 2009)

Overlap Statement:
There is no significant overlap with other courses.

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