CS 116: Introduction to Security

Tufts University Department of Computer Science, Fall 2022

Course Description

A holistic and broad perspective on cyber security. Attacking and defending networks, cryptography, vulnerabilities, reverse engineering, web security, static and dynamic analysis, malware, forensics. Principles illustrated through hands-on labs and projects, including Capture The Flag (CTF) games.

Sections

1. In-person, undergrads and grads: Tuesdays, 4:30 - 5:45 PM EST in Cummings Center Room 270; Thursdays on Twitch
2. Online Master's in Computer Science: live sessions on Wednesdays, 5:30 - 7:00 PM EST (via Zoom)

Instructor

• Ming Chow, ming.chow@tufts.edu
• Office Hours: Tuesdays, 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST in JCC, third floor

Prerequisites

• CS 15 or Data Structures equivalent course. Strongly recommended that you have taken CS 40. Please disregard prerequisites listed in the University's bulletin as they are incorrect!

Hardware and Software for This Class (on your personal computer)

Absolute Requirements

• A modern web browser (e.g., Firefox, Google Chrome, Chromium, Safari, Microsoft Edge)
• A command line interface to run Unix/Linux commands (e.g., macOS, Windows with Linux Subsystem, a Linux-based virtual machine, a Docker container)

List of Security Tools That Will Be Used in Course

The following is a list of security tools that will be used in the course. All of these tools are platform-independent.

• Wireshark
• Nmap
• Netcat
• Python
• Scapy
• John the Ripper
• Burp Suite
• apktool and Java as apktool requires Java

Assessment

• Labs (70%)
• Quizzes (27%; there will be two)
• Subjective factors including asking appropriate questions, answering questions well, organizing study groups or security-related virtual events, etc. (3%)

Course Infrastructure

• Lab submissions: Canvas (Tufts UTLN required)
• Quizzes: Canvas (Tufts UTLN required)
• Announcements: Piazza
• Discussions: Piazza

Syllabus

Thursdays on Twitch Live Upcoming Schedule

1. Thursday, December 1st: Basic Forensics
2. Thursday, December 8th: Lessons Not Learned in the Last Ten Years

Topics That Will Not Be Covered In This Course

• Social Engineering
• x86, x64, ARM Reverse Engineering
• Privacy

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there a textbook for this course?

A: No

Q: Are there teaching assistants (TAs) for this course?

A: No

Q: What is the workload of this course?

A: Here is a list of all the labs with expected length and difficulty:

• Lab 1: Working with the Command Line, Short (1 hour max) to Long (3+ hours) --you can put in as much time as you want on this lab
• Lab 2: Packet Sleuth, Medium (1 - 3 hours)
• Lab 3: Scanning and Reconnaissance, Very short (30 minutes). NOTE: This lab cannot be made publicly available because an actual target is used.
• Lab 4: Python and the Incident Alarm, Long (over 3 hours) to Impossible
• Lab 5: The Password Cracking Contest, If you crack all the password hashes (read: good luck with that), you will receive an automatic "A" in the course
• Lab 6: The XSS Game, Medium
• Lab 7: Gain Access to Website, Very short. NOTE: This lab cannot be made publicly available because an actual target is used.
• Lab 8: The CTF Game, One week --team based. NOTE: This lab cannot be made publicly available because an actual target is used.
• Lab 9: Technical Risk Analysis, Short to Medium.
• Lab 10: Android Malware Analysis, Short to Medium

Q: Does this course count towards the M.S. in Cybersecurity and Public Policy?

A: Yes

Q: Does this course count towards the M.S. in Software Systems Development?

A: Yes. In fact, this is one of the four required courses for the M.S.

Q: Did you remove information on using Kali virtual machine for this class? If so, why?

A: Yes. After all these years, it was more trouble than it was worth. Further reasons:

1. Accessibility. For students who are visually impaired, using a virtual machine can be very difficult.
2. Not all students have a capable laptop. Sometimes due to financial reasons, some students use Chromebooks. The tools required for this course can be installed natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
3. Performance. Sometimes, using a VM can be very slow. A VM also do not use native drivers (e.g., for networking).
4. Hard disk space requirement: at least 10 GB necessary.
5. Apple M1 Macs cannot run most Intel x86 virtual machines.

Q: Is Piazza used in this course?

Yes, quite a lot

Q: Why is there a course website and a course Canvas? If you say "it is a nuisance for students to use multiple websites and services for one course", what gives?

This course website serves a few critical purposes. Years ago, I made a decision to make all the readings, slide decks, and most of the labs publicly available. The reasons: (1) to show that Tufts is serious and is working on Cyber Security matters, (2) to provide learning material to the public on Cyber Security as the Cyber Security education problem is very dire, (3) for recordkeeping on what is taught and not taught in this Security class --this comes up often when we speak to industry and organizations who want to work with Tufts on Cyber Security-related matters. The Canvas site for this course isn't made publicly available. Even if Canvas site was made publicly available, content is behind a walled garden, and (4) for redundancy if Canvas goes down.

Q: I have not taken a course on Networks (CS 112), Operating Systems (CS 111), or Computer Architecture (CS 40) yet. Is that a problem?

No. Cyber Security is a very broad field and it is impossible for anyone, even professionals, to know everything. What is important for you is to start thinking about Security.

Q: If I am taking this course for professional purpose, can I have a tuition reimbursement letter or certificate?

A: Absolutely! It's a nice tuition reimbursement letter, hand signed!

If you have read this far, send me an email (ming.chow AT tufts DOT edu) with the subject "Walk this way" to earn a reward.

Course Policies

Labs

• All labs for a given topic, except for the password cracking lab and CTF writeup, are due on a Sunday at 11:59 PDT.
• With the exception of password cracking lab and CTF game, you are granted an automatic extension of 24 hours at no cost (i.e., grace period). A lab submitted after the grace period will not be accepted.
• No extension tokens.

Accessibility Statement

Tufts is committed to providing equal access and support to all qualified students through the provision of reasonable accommodations so that each student may fully participate in the Tufts experience. If you have a disability that requires accommodations, please contact the StAAR Center (formerly SAS) staarcenter@tufts.edu or 617-627-4539 to make an appointment to determine appropriate accommodations. Please be aware that accommodations cannot be enacted retroactively, making timeliness a critical aspect for their provision. You can learn more about the StAAR Center at https://students.tufts.edu/student-accessibility-services.

Expectations and Structure of This Course

This course will be a fun one for sure. A few notes on the expectations and structure of this course:

1. You are responsible for your own learning.

A very important point: if you want everything gone over in lecture or in notes, then this is not the course for you. More importantly, that's not how things work in real life.

2. You will learn by doing.

Each week, there will be at most three labs to hone your skills and to aim at the crux of the matter for the week. Here's an analogy: you don't learn how to cook simply by just reading cookbooks and watching YouTube videos. You learn by making, using your hands, and making mistakes.

3. You will learn by asking questions.

It is your responsibility to ask questions early and to ask for help...

4. ...and I expect discussions online to be very active and civil.

Share thoughts and respond to other people's questions. I will be online constantly. It is no secret that I respond very quickly unless I need to be away.