ITIS 6200 / 8200: Principles of Information Security and Privacy

Prof. Jian Xiang
Spring 2024

Lectures: Tu,Th 10:00-11:15am
Location: Fretwell 121

Announcements

Submit anonymous feedback at any time during the semester.

Syllabus: Course Information | Grading | Textbook | Schedule | Policies

Course information

This course is an introduction to fundamental concepts of security. Common topics include: security concepts and mechanisms; security technologies; authentication mechanisms; mandatory and discretionary controls; basic cryptography and its applications; database security, intrusion detection and prevention; assurance requirement, assurance class, evaluation methods and assurance maintenance; anonymity and privacy issues for information systems.

Credit hours: 3

See the lecture schedule for more detailed information on topics covered.

Course staff

Instructor: Jian Xiang
Teaching Assistants:
- Sneha Gourishetty (sgourish@charlotte.edu)
  - Office Hours: Wednesday, 2:30-3:30pm
  - Office Hour Location: Room 309, Woodward Hall
- Yamini Surya Adapa (yadapa@charlotte.edu)
  - Office Hours: Monday, 10:30-11:30am
  - Office Hour Location: Room 309, Woodward Hall

See below for a calendar of Office Hours. Office hours may change due to unexpected conflicts, so double check the calendar to be certain of the location and time before you go to office hours.

All questions and issues related to assignments, course content, etc., should be sent to the course staff by email or discussed on the Discussion Forum at Canvas. Questions related to grades, special consideration, etc. can be sent directly to Prof.Xiang. Note that course staff may take up to 48 hours to respond.

Time and place

There are two 75-minute lectures per week: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00am -11:15am.

Homeworks, exams, and grading

There will be an in-class open-book midterm and a final exam (no access to internet). There will be about 4 homework assignments, 3 projects, and 4 quizzes. Your grade will be determined by a weighted average of your scores on homework assignments, the midterm exam, the final exam, the quizzes, and class participation. Below are more details about each component, and their percentage at the final grade. (The percentage breakdown is subject to change anytime).

Homeworks (25%): 4 assignments. Assignments are going to be released and submitted at Canvas.
Midterm (20%): In class; Date Feb.22nd. Time: 10-11:15 am.
Final exam (30%): In class; Date May 2nd. Time: 8-10:30 am.
Projects (15%): 3 projects with hands-on experience.
Quizzes (5%): 4 20-minutes quizzes with single-choice questions.
Participation (5%): class participation includes attendance and participation in class and office hours, and contributing to online discussion

Textbooks

No textbook is required, but if you would like additional references, we recommend:

Security Engineering by Ross Anderson
Cryptography Engineering by Ferguson, Schneier, and Kohno
Introduction to Computer Security by Matt Bishop
Computer Security: Principles and Practice by William Stallings
Computer Security: Art and Science by Matt Bishop
Security in Computing by Charles P. Pfleeger
Introduction to Computer Security by Michael Goodrich and Roberto Tamassia
Computer Security, a freely available course textbook from UC Berkerly.

See the Resources page for additional material that you can examine.

Schedule

Lectures schedule

See here for a detailed schedule of lectures.

Check University Academic Calendar for other important dates and deadlines.

Office hours

Office hours will start in the second week of classes.

We will use this Google calendar for office hour times:

Course Policies

See the Course Policies page for more information about course policies, including Diversity and Inclusion, Inclusive Learning and Accessibility, Mental Health, and Extensions, and Collaboration and Academic Integrity.

Syllabus Revisions

The instructor may modify standards and requirements set forth in this syllabus at any time. Notice of such changes will be by announcement to the class.