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Canyon College

online Cryptography and Internet Security course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Cryptography and Internet Security

Course Title:
Department:
Instructor:
Prerequisites:
CST437 - Cryptography and Internet Security
Computer Science
Stephen Soto, DM, MBA, MA, BS - E-mail | Vita
None


Course Description:

This is an introductory course into cryptography and Internet security. The class will cover security requirements for telecommunications over the Internet and other communication networks. Various conventional and public-key encryption protocols, digital encryption standards, RSA and ElGamal cryptographic systems, digital signature algorithm and analysis of its cryptoimmunity, and access sharing schemes.

Required Textbook and Software: Online Bookstore

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, Third Edition
by William Stallings
Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall
ISBN #: 0-13-091429-0

The second text for the course is (which can be purchased as a used book),

Handbook of Applied Cryptography
by Alfred Menezes, Paul van Oorschot and Scott Vanstone
Copyright 1996, CRC Press
ISBN #: 0849385237

The third text for the course (a paperback) is,

Information Warfare and Security
by Dorothy E. Denning
Copyright 1999, Addison Wesley
ISBN #: 0201433036

Microsoft Word 97 or better

Virus scanner, all files you submit need to be scanned. If we both virus scan the work, we avoid most potential problems.

A useful web site of published information for the course: www.cccure.org

This website contains useful summaries of knowledge on Cryptography and Computer Security. This information, in addition to what is covered in the textbooks, can be used to address the weekly discussion question.

Other Requirements:

There will be two project style exams (midterm exam and final exam) and a course project (worth up to 20 points). The course project will contain several problems to answer (or calculate) and/or essay question(s) to be done during the course. Each of the exam is worth up to 70 points. The format of the exams could include true/false, multiple choice, fill in blank, essay, problems to solve (or calculate) and/or essay questions. It will cover the material that has been presented in the course’s textbooks. The Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 2/e is the basis for all exam answers.

The exam will be available at the end of week three and seven respectively. The exam will be completed no later than the last day of the week on week four and eight respectively. This gives learners a few days to work the project style exam and a few days to make sure that I receive it via email. I acknowledge all emails from students. It is your responsibility to make sure that I receive your emails and the exam. If I have not acknowledged receiving it, then, I did not receive it.

  1. Exam one (midterm) will cover the listed readings from week one up through and including week three.
  1. Exam two (final) will cover the listed readings from week one up through and including week seven.
  1. The course Project assignment will contain several problems to answer (or calculate) and/or essay question(s) to be completed during the course.
Discussion: Earn up to 5 points per week

The student is required to respond to a weekly course-related discussion question. These questions will be provided weekly. Grading of response will be based on the instructor’s subjective evaluation of its content, grammar, and punctuation. Although a specific length is not mandated, the question’s response should be about 150 to 400 words, be well thought out and provide value to the class discussion. (Due Day 3, Wednesday)

Late work

Please note the due date for the Discussion Question and the Exams. Late email submission of an exam results in a reduction of (20) points per day. Late posting of a discussion question results in a reduction of (1) point per day. Late email submission of the course project results in a reduction of (5) points per day. The course will use the Canyon College server’s timestamp as the date and time basis for discussion questions posting, exam email submissions and course project email submission. Both exams and the course project will be submitted to the instructor’s Canyon College email address.

Schedule and Assignments:

Please note that any changes to the following reading assignments will be posted with the discussion question for the next week in the online classroom.

Week One

Reading Assignments:

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 3/e textbook:
All of Chapter One: Overview.
All of Chapter Two: Classical Encryption Techniques.
All of Chapter Three: Block Ciphers and the Data Encryption Standard.

Information Warfare and Security textbook:
Chapter Eleven: Secret Codes and Hideaways.

Handbook of Applied Cryptography:
Section 1.1 (pg 1-2): Introduction
Section 1.2 (pg 2-6): Information Security and Cryptography

Review this Syllabus carefully, it contains an initial assignment for the learner to email the instructor (no grading point value), but it is important.

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)

Discussion Question for Week One: What do you believe are the greatest threats to a commercial firm’s security? Justify your position.

All of the discussion questions for the course and the course project assignment will be posted in the classroom during week one of the course.


Week Two

Reading Assignments:

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 3/e textbook:
Section 6.1 and 6.4 of Chapter Six: Contemporary Symmetric Ciphers
Section 5.1 and 5.2 of Chapter Five: Advanced Encryption Standard
All of Chapter Seven: Confidentiality Using Conventional Encryption

Review and start working on the Course Project assignment.

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)


Week Three

Reading Assignments:

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 3/e textbook:
Sections 9.1, 9.2, 10.1 and 10.2: Topic Public Key Cryptography and Key Management
All of Chapter Eleven: Message Authentication and Hash Functions
Sections 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3: Hash Algorithms
All of Chapter Thirteen: Digital Signatures and Authentication Protocols

Handbook of Applied Cryptography:
Section 1.7 (pg 24-25): Authentication and Identification.
Section 1.9 (pg 33): Hash functions.
Section 1.10 (pg 33-35): Protocols and Mechanisms.
Section 1.11 (pg 35-39): Key establishment, management and certification.
Section 1.13 (pg 41-45): Classes of attack and security models.

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)

Exam Midterm: The Exam will be emailed to students on or before Sunday (day 7).


Week Four

Reading Assignments:

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 3/e textbook:
All of Chapter 16: IP Security

Information Warfare and Security textbook:
Chapter One: Gulf War – Infowar
Chapter Two: A Theory of Information Warfare
Chapter Three: Playgrounds to Battlegrounds

Assignment:

Work the Project Style Midterm Exam

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)

Exam Midterm: Exam is Due on Sunday (day 7)


Week Five

Reading Assignments:

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 3/e textbook:
Section 14.1 of Chapter Fourteen: Authentication Applications
Section 15.1 of Chapter Fifteen: Electronic Mail Security
All of Chapter Seventeen: Web Security

Information Warfare and Security textbook:
Chapter Twelve: How to Tell a Fake.

Handbook of Applied Cryptography:
Section 8.1-8.1.1 (pg 283-285): Introduction Public Key Encryption
Section 8.2-8.2.3 (pg 285-291): RSA Public Key encryption
Section 8.4-8.4.2 (pg 294-298): ElGamal Public Key Encryption

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)


Week Six

Reading Assignments:

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 3/e textbook:
All of Chapter Eighteen: Intruders
All of Chapter Nineteen: Malicious Software
All of Chapter Twenty: Firewalls

Information Warfare and Security textbook:
Chapter Thirteen: Monitors and Gatekeepers.
Chapter Six: Inside the Fence.

Handbook of Applied Cryptography:
Section 11.1-11.2.4 (pg 425-433): Introduction Digital Signatures
Section 11.3-11.3.3 (pg 433-438): RSA signature scheme
Section 11.5.2 (pg 454-459): ElGamal signature scheme

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)


Week Seven

Reading Assignments:

Information Warfare and Security textbook:
Chapter Seven: Seizing the Signals.
Chapter Eight: Computer Break-Ins and Hacking.
Chapter Nine: Masquerade.
Chapter Ten: Cyberplagues.
Chapter Fourteen: In a Risky World.

Handbook of Applied Cryptography:
Section 12.1-12.2.3 (pg 489-497): Introduction Key Establishment Protocol
Section 12.6-12.6.1 (pg 515-517): Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement
Section 12.7-12.8 (pg 524-529): Secret sharing (multi-party protocols)
Section 12.8 (pg 529): Conference Keying
Section 12.9-12.9.1 (page 530-532): Attack Strategies and Classic Protocol Flaws

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)

Exam Final: The final exam will be emailed to students on or before Sunday (day 7).


Week Eight

Assignment:

Work the Project Style Final Exam.

Discussion Question: (Due day 3, Wednesday)

Exam Final: Exam is Due on Sunday (day 7).

Course Project Assignment is Due on Sunday (day 7).


Other Course Policy:

I try to resolve all issues using e-mail first. If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

It is important that you read this syllabus carefully since I follow it (unless there is a typo, major unforeseen event or there is an error in it; Note, I always reserve the right to change the syllabus for these reasons). After reading the syllabus, your first assignment is to email me and provide me with the email address that I should use for you during the course (also your name, a backup email address and your phone number).

It is important that your email address does not have spam filters that could block my emails to you. It is your responsibility to disable any spam filters or similar blocking software that could prevent me from sending emails to your mailbox. It is your responsibility to supply me with a reliable mailbox.

You should receive your exams via email from your instructor at the end of week three and seven respectively. If not, it is your responsibility to email your instructor and request the exam. Note that the syllabus contains the course policies regarding email with your instructor. The exam is to be returned to the instructor's Canyon email address. Place you're filled out answer sheet with your full name on it in the body of the email and as an attached text file (ending in .txt). Copy yourself on the email and save the copy as backup. It is a good idea to finish and email the exam a few days a head of time.


Grades

Grading Scale: Out of 200 points

180-200
160-179
140-159
120-139
below 120
A
B
C
D
F