Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

Objectives:
Today any computer professional must have a basic knowledge about network security. This course will present a practical and theoretical survey of the basic concepts, principles and practice of cryptography and network security.

Contents:

• Network Security, Cryptography: Symmetric Encryption, Asymmetric Encryption, Hash Functions. Network Security Applications: Authentication Applications, Electronic Mail Security, IP security, Web security
• System Security: Intruders, Malicious Software, Firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems, Security Policies

Learning objectives

Knowledge

• Must be able to understand the basic concepts, principles and practice of cryptography and network security
• Must understand general security objectives: Confidentiality, integrity, availability, etc.
• Must be able to understand professional articles and documentation concerning security issues
• Must be able to understand the various threats, vulnerabilities and attack methods and the function and application of network components and applications used for countering threats
• Must be able to understand the various classes of cryptographic algorithms, explain their relative properties and the interplay of algorithms in network security applications and protocols
• Must be able to understand the methods for authentication of people and systems in the covered protocols and applications
• Must be able to understand the typical content and best practices in a company’s security policy

Skills

• Must be able to apply relevant methods to achieve security objectives
• Must be able to design, realise and document a security solution in a network
• Must be able to apply tools for analysing and generating network traffic to study security protocols and to test, verify and document the implemented solution
• Must have the ability to take security issues into account when developing IT-systems

Competences

• Must have competencies in implementing security systems based on current best practices  

Type of instruction

Class teaching, lab exercises and one group project.

Approximately 60% of the time will be spent on lab exercises and the group project.

Exam

Exams