CODE | 80156 |
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ACADEMIC YEAR | 2022/2023 |
CREDITS |
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SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR | ING-INF/05 |
LANGUAGE | English |
TEACHING LOCATION |
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SEMESTER | 1° Semester |
TEACHING MATERIALS | AULAWEB |
The course covers some of the fundamental principles of Computer Security. Topics covered include cryptographic hash functions, symmetric and asymmetric ciphers, digital signatures, digital certificates, security protocols, and access control. An introduction to network security and web security is also provided. The course also features a number of hands-on sessions and a cyber exercise (a Capture-the-Flag competition).
For students of Informatica (Computer Science) the CyberExercise is not mandatory and the number of credits is reduced to 6.
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to: explain the concepts of confidentiality, availability, and integrity (CIA) as well as the concepts of threat, vulnerability, exploit and (cyber-)risk and (cyber-)risk mitigation; explain the strengths and weaknesses of cryptographic techniques as well as their role in protecting data at rest and in transit, in implementing the concept of digital signature and in supporting the design of security protocols; explain the security model of web browsers and identify the most relevant vulnerabilities of web applications; explain the causes and effects of buffer overflows in executable programs; explain the key principles of access control in information systems and most relevant access control models and mechanisms.
Students will acquire in-depth understanding of the security issues that plague modern Computer Systems and complex ICT infrastructures as well as of the techniques used to solve or, at least, mitigate them. Students will learn how to evaluate if the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data and communications is at risk and to identify appropriate solutions to achieve these fundamental security properties. The course features a series of hands-on sessions that provide students with the ability to solve practical problems drawn from a variety of domains: cryptography, network security, host security and web security.
Lecture-style instruction complemented with hands-on session on selected topics (e.g. secure mail, web security).
The examination consists of a written and a practical exam (cyber exercise).
Introduction Computer Security [1h]
The concepts of resource, vulnerability, threat, countermeasure, and risk
Security goals: confidentiality, integrity, availability, ...
Introduction to Cryptography [2h]
Fundamental concepts (cryptography, cryptanalysis, general cryptographic schema)
Monoalphabetic substitution ciphers (Caesar cipher)
Polyalphabetic substitution ciphers (Vigenère cipher)
One-time pads (Vernam cipher)
Transposition ciphers
Composite ciphers
Symmetric Cryptography [3h]
Block and stream ciphers
Feistel cipher structure
DES and 3DES
Modes of operation (Electronic Code Book, Cipher-Block Chaining, Stream Ciphers)
Link vs end-to-end encryption
The key distribution problem
Public-Key Cryptography [6h]
Introduction to public-key cryptography
Introduction to Number Theory
The RSA algorithm
Diffie-Hellman key exchange
Message Authentication and Digital Signatures [3h]
Message integrity and authentication functions (message encryption, message authentication code, cryptographic hash functions)
Digital signature
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) [3h]
PKI components
Digital Certificates
Trust models
Security Protocols [6h]
Basic notions (protocol execution, assumptions and goals, attacker model)
Examples of protocols (NSPK, Otway-Rees, Andrew Secure RPC, Denning & Sacco)
Prudent engineering of security protocols
Kerberos (architecture, protocol, inter-realm communication, limitations)
Secure mail [3h+3h hands on]
PGP
Network Security [6h]
Link Layer: WiFi Security
Network Layer: IP-Sec
Transport Layer: SSL/TLS
Introduction to Firewalls
Web Security [6h + 6h hands on]
Security on the client side (cookies and privacy, HTTP authentication mechanisms)
Security on the server side (unvalidated input, broken authentication and session management, cross-site scripting, injection flaws, denial of service, ...)
Secure Programming [6h]
Buffer overflows
Format string vulnerabilities
Access Control [6h]
Discretionary vs Mandatory Access Control
Access control matrix model
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Administrative Role-Based Access Control (ARBAC)
I modelli di Bell-LaPadula, Harrison-Ruzzo-Ullman, Chinese Wall
Cyber Exercise [12h hands on]
Teaching material (slides and exercises) are available on AulaWeb.
Charles P. Pfleeger Shari Lawrence Pfleeger. Security in Computing, 4/E. ISBN-10:0132390779, ISBN-13: 9780132390774, Prentice Hall Editor, 2007. (Available also in Italian)
William Stallings, Lawrie Brown. Computer Security: Principles and Practice (3rd Edition). Pearson Ed., 2015
ALESSANDRO ARMANDO (President)
GIACOMO RENATO BENEDETTI
LUCA VERDERAME
ALESSIO MERLO (President Substitute)
All class schedules are posted on the EasyAcademy portal.
Written Exam based on open–ended questions.
Hands-on Assessment (CyberExercise) requiring the solution of “Capture-the-Flag” problems.
Students with learning disorders ("disturbi specifici di apprendimento", DSA) will be allowed to use specific modalities and supports that will be determined on a case-by-case basis in agreement with the delegate of the Engineering courses in the Committee for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities.
The written test will assess
The understanding of the fundamental problems and techniques of Computer Security
the ability to critically evaluate the characteristics of the various solutions to classical security problems (e.g. data protection, authentication, authorization),
The practical test will assess
The ability to use penetration testing tools
the ability to discover vulnerabilities and exploits in computer systems.
Date | Time | Location | Type | Notes |
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11/01/2023 | 16:00 | GENOVA | Scritto | |
17/01/2023 | 14:00 | GENOVA | Laboratorio | |
08/02/2023 | 16:00 | GENOVA | Scritto | |
17/02/2023 | 15:00 | GENOVA | Laboratorio | |
15/06/2023 | 16:00 | GENOVA | Scritto | |
13/07/2023 | 16:00 | GENOVA | Scritto | |
25/07/2023 | 15:00 | GENOVA | Laboratorio | |
04/09/2023 | 16:00 | GENOVA | Scritto |