Instructor: Evan Anspach
Email: Evan.Anspach＠colostate.edu
Communication Policy: I use Microsoft Teams for all communication such as meeting and regrade requests. I will respond as quickly as I can, usually within 48 hours on weekdays. If it has been longer than 48 hours during a work week please send me another message. Never contact me via direct message on Canvas.
Description
CS356 Systems Security presents a broad overview of cyber-security concepts, technologies and challenges. The course is open to computer science, advanced technology, mathematics, and engineering students. CS356 is a required course for all undergraduates in computer science. CS356 is also offered as an online course for distance-learning students (class section 801).
Textbook
Computer Security: Principles and Practice, 4th Edition
Authors: William Stallings and Lawrie Brown
3rd edition is acceptable, but be careful during homework assignments: the chapter questions could be numbered differently. Also, be careful in homework between Problems and Review Questions or you will be answering the wrong question.
Note that we do not use the book’s webpage and do not use the access code from the book, so “pre-owned” books are okay to use.
Prerequisites
CS 214 with a minimum grade of C or CS 253 with a minimum grade of C or CS 370 with a minimum grade of C.
Course Logistics
This is a 3-credit course.
There are NO recitation sections.
The table below lists Instructor and Teaching Assistants along with their office hours.
| Name | Role | Office Hours | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Anspach | I | T/R: 12pm-1:50pm | MS Teams/ CSB 242 by appointment |
| Asif Uz Zaman | GTA | M: 12pm-5pm, T: 10am-2pm, R: 8-9pm | MS Teams |
| MD Al Amin | GTA | T/R: 7-9pm, W: 11am-3pm, F: 10am-12pm | MS Teams |
| Cesar Oros Olivas | UTA | M/W: 1-3pm, F: 4-6pm | MS Teams |
| Conor Holland | UTA | M: 11am-12:30pm & 3-5pm, T 10am-12pm. W: 3pm-5pm, R 10am-12pm | MS Teams |
| Trevor Venable | UTA | M/W: 6:30-9pm, T 11am-2pm | MS Teams |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| First Day of Class | January 20th |
| Midterm 1 | March 5th |
| Midterm 2 | April 23rd |
| Final Exam | May 12th @ 9:40 AM |
Grade Distribution
The course grading requires the student to demonstrate a grasp of the concepts via homework, participation exercises, exams, and programming projects. There are a total of 4 projects assigned, some with multiple phases. Languages used are Python and C/C++. Some of the projects use the DeterLab facility to safely experiment with cyber-attacks. Instructions for the use of DETER are given in the course.
Each Student is expected to give an oral report and written paper on a current news topic relating to computer security. Newshound reports will be scheduled at each lecture.
| Activity | Weight |
|---|---|
| Class Participation & Quizzes | 10% |
| Programming Projects | 40% |
| Midterms | 30% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
If you believe you have been graded unfairly in a project or assignment, talk with your teaching assistant before meeting with the instructor. You have 2 weeks (10 business days) prior to the grade posting date to appeal a grade in the course. The final letter grades are assigned according to a curve based on the median weighted score and standard deviation.
Late and Make Up Policy
The weekly assignments will be left open until the end of their unit without penalty. Projects and exams will not be accepted late without proper documentation.
Students must consult with the instructor as soon as possible to make other arrangements, preferably before the event.
See Policies for more information about attendance.
Generative AI Usage and Consequences
Use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Github Co-Pilot, and/or their ilk to write or “improve” your code or written work at any stage is prohibited. Turning in code or an essay written by generative AI tools will be treated as turning in work created by someone else, namely an act of plagiarism and/or cheating.
Ultimately, you will get out of the class what you put in. Simply copying and pasting code from generative AI tools is neither ethical nor does it contribute to your learning experience. There are multiple reasons why these generative AI tools are detrimental to your learning experience:
They rob you of the ability to think and learn the concepts for yourself. Solving problems is an essential step to gaining a solid understanding of the material. You will struggle with the in-classroom quizzes and exams where you will not have access to these tools. While we acknowledge that these tools are likely to become an important part of a software engineer’s workflow in the future, you are much more likely to use these tools in an effective manner if you already have expertise in the relevant technical topics. Developing such expertise requires putting in the effort to learn these topics without the assistance of these tools. These tools are prone to generating imperfect or even incorrect solutions, so trusting them blindly can lead to bad consequences.
Professional Conduct
All students are expected to conduct themselves professionally. We (the instructors and GTAs) assume you are familiar with the policies in the student information sheet for the department and the department conduct code. Additionally, you are computing professionals, albeit perhaps just starting. You should be familiar with the code of conduct for the primary professional society, ACM. You can read the ACM Code of Conduct HERE. This course will adhere to the CSU Academic Integrity Policy as found in the Student Conduct Code. At a minimum, violations will result in a grading penalty in this course and a report to the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct Services.
Students not already familiar with the CSU Honor Pledge should review this clear and simple pledge and always adhere to it. Academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely. The first instance of cheating will result in negative credit. The second instance will result in a failing grade and other penalties dictated by departmental and university policies.
We work to maintain an environment supportive of learning in the classroom and laboratory. Towards that end, we require that you be courteous to and respectful of your fellow participants (i.e., classmates, instructors, TAs and any tutors). In particular:
Please turn off the ring on your cell phone. If you are expecting an emergency call, sit near the door and slide out discretely to take it. If at any time the instructor judges that an electronic device is becoming a distraction the student may be asked to to turn it off and put it away.
We require you to follow the guidelines listed below for postings on the Teams Channel:
- Be professional.
- Be courteous.
- Do not post any questions about your grade or any grading issues. Such questions are private communication and must be emailed.
- Do not post any opinions regarding your graded assignment or any aspect of the course. You will have a chance to submit anonymous reviews at the end of the semester. Email feedback to the instructor regarding the course is acceptable and welcome.
