CS4679 Advances in Cyber Security Operations

Unfettered by rules, ethics, or government acquisition politics, the cyber underground has created sophisticated and innovative mechanisms for digital crime. Spanning all layers from hardware and firmware to human-computer interfaces, these command and control systems are both clandestine and dynamic. Using case studies, this course explores the techniques, tactics and procedures of cyber security operations used to identify and track emerging adversarial behavior. By addressing computer network attack, defense, and exploitation topics associated with disruptive technologies, students will gain an understanding of the threats, vulnerabilities, and appropriate mitigating security controls. Sample topics include: supply chain attacks; driving forces of the cyber underground; operations involving a variety of cyber technologies and infrastructures; tracking, location, and identification: security implications of new hardware and firmware interfaces; and covert and side channels.

Prerequisite

CS3502, CS3600, CS3070, or consent of instructor. In addition, programming experience through courses such as CS3040 and CS3140 is recommended.

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

1

Course Learning Outcomes

• Identify relevant enabling documents and describe the legal constraints on cyber operations as they affect military,  intelligence, U.S. Government and civilian sectors.
• Describe physical, logical and social layers of cyberspace.
• Name and define key terms in the cyber operations lexicon.
• Analyze and discuss ethical considerations in cyber operations.
• Recall principle technologies and protocols underpinning mobile and wireless system communications.
• Students will be able to describe recent research in system exploitation.
• Explain physical attacks on cryptographic mechanisms in typical, unhardened processors.
• Critically read and analyze cybersecurity papers. Identify ways in which authors sometimes exaggerate, and otherwise fall short in scientific methodology.
• Describe vulnerability equities as a problem in analysis of alternatives.
• Explain through examples from papers and case studies interdependencies between various disciplines such as computer science, computer engineering and other sciences, in cybersecurity and cyber operations.