Link to Blackboard Learn login page
Link to Piazza class page
As of March 23rd, all classroom instruction is being conducted online. Email was sent to all registered students introducing some of the details. This syllabus has been updated to reflect those changes. Students are expected to watch lectures online (linked at the class Blackboard site), and monitor their email and the class Piazza site.
Questions or concerns should be directed to the instructor and/or the TAs.
University COVID-19 website
Call Center: 765-496-INFO (4636) (1-833-571-1043 toll free).
This course is an introduction to the elements of information security and protection. It covers issues for systems and networks, including policy, design, operation, incident detection and response, and more.
Catalog description: This course focuses on social, legal, and economic aspects of information security and privacy, also including ethics, policies, and human behavioral issues. The course covers the interactions between non-technological aspects of information security as well as relevant technological aspects. It focusses on how non-technological facets can inform and guide technological choices, and how technological choices can enhance or detract from the broader organizational and societal goals. Typically offered Spring.
3 class hours, 3 credit hours
CS 42600 or CS 526 Computer Security or equivalent course with the consent of the instructor (can be taken concurrently).
All of my courses operate under the same general policies and standards . My students are expected to study and understand all of these policies. Potential students are encouraged to check these out before signing up for one of my classes.
MWF in LWSN 1106, 11:30am ‐ 12:20pm
Lectures will be posted on-line via the class Blackboard site. Students are expected to watch the lectures and do the associated readings.
Tentatively scheduled for March 9, in class
No books or notes. NO electronic devices.
The midterm may be done as a take-home exam due March 9 instead of in-class.
There will be no final exam. Instead, a final paper will be due May 6.
Eugene H. Spafford (Spaf)
Some classes will be taught by other faculty or video when Spaf is out of town.
For office hours, telephone/email, etc., see Spaf's homepage .
If you need to talk to me about class, or simply need to talk to someone about your Purdue classes or because you are feeling overwhelmed, I will be happy to schedule a Skype or Zoom session to talk one-on-one. Send me email with a request and some times that will work for you.
There will be a course email list used for high-priority announcements. This will use your registered @purdue.edu email address; make sure this is forwarded to an account you read on a regular basis.
Some announcements may be posted in Blackboard, so be sure to check that at least once each week.
This informational page will be updated over the course of the semester! Be sure to check it regularly.
Blackboard will be used to distribute assignments and collect your responses. Grades will only be available there.
The final grade in the class will be based on assignments, a midterm exam, and a final paper.
The determination of final scores will be approximately 20% for projects, 40% for the term paper, and 40% for the final paper.
I have adopted this 10 point scale for assignments, originally described by Professor Clifton for grading all non-test items:
10 | Exceptional work. So good that it makes up for substandard work elsewhere in the course. These will be rare, and for many homeworks/problems a perfect score will correspond to an 8. |
8 | What I'd expect of a Ph.D. candidate or outstanding MS student. This corresponds to an A grade. |
6 | Average Master's degree student work, but not what I'd like to see for a Ph.D. candidate. This corresponds to a B grade. |
4 | Okay for a Master's candidate who does extremely well in other courses. This corresponds to a C grade. |
2 | Not good enough for a graduate student. But something. |
0 | Missing work, or so bad that you needn't have bothered. |
The following shows an approximate week-by-week list of topics and readings (readings will be fleshed out as the semester advances). The actual presentation of some of these topics may change, subject to availability of guest lecturers and additional resources.
Week / Dates | Topics | Readings & Notes |
1 / Jan 13 |
Class introduction & policies and overview of class.
Overview of course. Cyber crime
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2 / Jan 20 |
Personnel security and insider threat
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3 / Jan 27 |
Computer forensics
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Fourth Amendment Seizures of Computer Data by Orin Kerr |
4 / Feb 3 |
Incident responses
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5 / Feb 10 |
Economics of information security
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6 / Feb 17 |
Security management
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The Economics of Information Security by Ross Anderson and Tyler Moore |
7 / Feb 24 |
Behavioral and usability issues in security and privacy
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8 / Mar 2 |
Week 8
Privacy: social, ethical and legal considerations
Midterm |
9 / Mar 9 |
Guest lecture by Prof. Sorin Matei The generative nature of the internet and its downsides The conficker worm |
9 / Mar 9 |
Regulations and compliance
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9 / Mar 11 |
Guest lecture by Prof. Karthik Kannan |
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March 13 | Day off in lieu of Midterm Exam | |
March 14 | Spring Break! | |
10 / Mar 23 (Online) | Topic TBD | |
10 / Mar 25 (Online) | Topic TBD | |
10 / Mar 27 (Online) |
Web security issues: Liability and its limits for intermediaries (mere conduit, caching, hosting)
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11 / Mar 30 (Online) |
Cyber warfare and international issues
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12 / Apr 6 (Online) |
Risk management
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April 7-8 | CERIAS Annual Symposium! |
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13 / Apr 13 (Online) |
Ethical aspects of information security
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14 / Apr 20 (Online) |
Emerging topics
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15 Apr 27 (Online) | Wrap-up and overflow. | |
Finals / Week of May 4 | No final exam -- a final paper will be due on May 4. |
Students are encouraged to attend the weekly security seminar or to view the podcasts online.
Other information, handouts, assignments, etc will all be on the class page in Blackboard and eventually linked in here.