Security and Reliability of Computer Communication Systems

1.

 Course Title Security and Reliability of Computer Communication Systems
2. Code 4ФЕИТ07002А
3. Study program Dedicated Embedded Computer Systems and Internet of Things
4. Organizer of the study program (unit, institute, department) Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies

Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
5. Degree (first, second, third cycle) Second cycle
6. Academic year/semester Year I Semester 1
7. Workload measured by number of ECTS credits 6
8. Lecturer (In case of several lecturers to note the responsible one) Dr. Danijela Efnusheva
9. Language of teaching Macedonian and English
10. Course Prerequisites None
11. Course Goals (acquired competencies) and study results:

Acquiring deeper knowledge in the field of security and reliability of computer and network environments. Application of the acquired knowledge in practical systems, such as: computer systems and different types of networks. Application of machine learning in system security implementation. Protection of critical data. Estimation of reliability in computer-communication systems.After the competition of the course the students would be capable to understand the architecture and the implementation of security and reliability in computer communication systems.
12. Course Syllabus (with Chapters) and study results for each chapter:

  1. Introduction and basic concepts. Ethical standards and accountability. Structure of encryption. Examples of encryption protocols. Encryption with secret keys. Encryption with public keys.
  2. Encrypted systems penetration. Basic protection mechanisms in operating systems. Architecture of protection systems in operating systems, authentication, access control: access lists, access control implementation (Unix, Java), Bell and La Padula models. Operating systems support for MAC policies, security policies Clark- Wilson and Chinese Wall.
  3. Weaknesses of protection in operating systems. Safe OS cores. Protective mechanisms in TCP/IP based networks and in DNS. IPsec protocol. Firewalls. Web applications and servers protection. Database protection and attacks. Virus detection, Trojan horses and unauthorized login attempts. Spam, spoofing, man-in-the-middle, DoS, DDoS agents and mobile codes.
  4. IDS/IPS systems. Application of machine learning in IDS systems. Classification, analysis and selection of different techniques for machine learning, according to the problem of detection;
  5. Protocols for secure electronic transactions. Protection of smart cards and other card types.  Reliability and confidentiality definitions and measures. Reliability and availability modeling. Error detection and error correction codes. Reliable systems design: transient versus permanent hardware errors. Error sources in software.
  6. Fault tolerance techniques. VLSI devices reliability; airflow control systems, telecommunication systems, industrial control applications. Reliable systems for transaction processing. Software approaches and software reliability. Software reliability models. Software reliability methods. Reliability in operating systems and data structures. Reliability in databases and distributed systems.
  7. Test design. Test generation methods. Automatic Test Pattern Generation (ATPG). System level tests and diagnosis. Software Testing. Test specifications. Black Box Testing. White box testing. R
13. Interconnection of Courses: This course looks into the concepts of system and network protection and security, basing its new concepts on the elements from: Wireless Technologies and Networks for Internet of Things, Dedicated and contemporary computer networks, Internet of Things and IoT Standards and Protocols. On the other hand, its concepts are further developed in courses like: Design of Smart IoT Devices, Coding Theory, Secure Communications and Blockchain Technologies, Numerical Methods in Stochastic Processes.
14. Detailed description of teaching and work methods:

Lectures, independent learning, independent work on project tasks and preparation of seminar papers.
15. Total number of course hours 180
16.

 

 Forms of teaching 

 

 16.1 Lectures-theoretical teaching 45 hours

 
16.2 Exercises (laboratory, practice classes), seminars, teamwork 45 hours

 
16.3 Practical work (hours): 20 hours
17.

 

 

 Other course activities

 

 17.1 Projects, seminar papers 45 hours
17.2 Individual tasks 0 hours
17.3 Homework and self-learning 25 hours
18. Conditions for acquiring teacher’s signature and for taking final exam: 60% of all required course activities
19. Grading
19.1 Quizzes 30 points
19.2 Seminar work/project (presentation: written and oral) 50 points
19.3 Final Exam 20 points
20. Grading criteria (points) up to 50 points 5 (five) (F)
from 51 to 60 points 6 (six) (E)
from 61 to 70 points 7 (seven) (D)
from 71 to 80 points 8 (eight) (C)
from 81 to 90 points 9 (nine) (B)
from 91 to 100 points 10 (ten) (A)
21. Method of monitoring of teaching quality Self-evaluation and student surveys
22. Literature
22.1. Required Literature
No. Author Title Publisher Year
1. William Stallings Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice 8th Edition Pearson 2020
2. Marvin Rausand, Anne Barros, Arnljot Hoyland System Reliability Theory: Models, Statistical Methods, and Applications, 3rd Edition Wiley 2020
3. Clarence Chio, David Freeman Machine Learning and Security: Protecting Systems with Data and Algorithms O’Reilly Media 2018
22.2. Additional Literature
No. Author Title Publisher Year
1.  Arne Mikalsen, Per Borgesen  Local Area Network Management, Design and Security: A Practical Approach  Wiley  2002