CS 2310: Cybersecurity in Action: Technical Skills for the Digital World

CS 2310: Cybersecurity in Action: Technical Skills for the Digital World

Semester Hours:   3.0
Contact Hours:   3
Coordinator:   N/A
Text:   N/A
Text:   N/A
Author(s):   VARIED
Year:   Varied

SPECIFIC COURSE INFORMATION

Catalog Description

This course covers security vulnerabilities and risks, operating system security, and security protocols for networking. It also includes the application of cryptographic methods and the Zero Trust model. This course explains the trade-offs involved in cybersecurity measures (e.g., balancing security and user convenience). Prerequisite: CS 1310

Course type: ELECTIVE

SPECIFIC COURSE GOALS

  • Discuss the major security vulnerabilities and the risks associated with them. (Understand)
  • Explain certain operating system security features. (Understand)
  • Explain the components of the Zero Trust model. (Understand)
  • Assess security protocols to use within network applications. (Apply)
  • Develop the appropriate mitigation and deterrent techniques. (Apply)
  • Apply cryptographic methods such as encryption, digital signature, and message digest. (Apply)
  • Use appropriate tools and techniques to discover security threats and vulnerabilities. (Apply)
  • Discuss the trade-offs between security and user experience. (Understand)

LIST OF TOPICS COVERED

  • Security Concepts and Basics (~14%)
    • Cybersecurity, computer systems, vulnerabilities, threats, control, countermeasures, attack, harm, CIA triad.
    • Common cyber-attacks examples
    • Basic security features analysis under attack/defense cases
    • Authentication and identification methods
    • Access control list/matrix, capability list
    • Hash Functions, brute force attack, salt and rainbow table
    • Strength of a password, password entropy
  • Basic Cryptography for building secure applications (~14%)
    • Symmetric encryption: DES/AES
    • Asymmetric encryption and digital signature: RSA
    • Key sharing schemes: Diffie-Hellman
    • Stream cipher vs block cipher, modes of operations
    • One-way hash algorithms and applications, blockchain
  • Zero Trust Model (~10%)
    • The key pillars that make up the Zero Trust model and how it differs from a perimeter-based model
    • Understanding threats to the enterprise and how Zero Trust mitigates those threats and risks
    • Solutions and capabilities that make up a Zero Trust security posture
    • Practical steps that are necessary to protect the network and applications through Zero Trust implementation
    • How to respond and mitigate threats within the Zero Trust architecture
  • Operation system security and database security (~10%)
    • Various access control methods and applying a proper control model to a system
    • Auditing
    • SQL injection attack
  • Firewall and NIDS (~10%)
    • Firewall settings in common OS
    • Firewall access control examples in enterprise network devices
    • NIDS system, Snort
  • Web security (14%)
    • Public key infrastructure, HTTPS, cookies
    • Phishing attack, how attackers bypass multi-factor authentication
    • Cross-site attacks
  • Wi-fi Security (~14%)
    • Wi-fi security protocols
    • Vulnerability of WEP
    • Comparison of WEP, WPA, WPA2
  • Email Security and Privacy (~14%)
    • Email encryption, S/MIME and PGP
    • Anonymous communication, mix net and onion routing (Tor)

Updated: 12/02/2025 04:45PM