Southern Arkansas University
Course Syllabus
Spring 2024
Course Number and Title: MCIS 6173 Networking Security
College or Department: CST--Math and Computer Science
Instructor: Ahmed Jbara
Contact Number: (N/A)
Email: ahmedjbara@saumag.edu
Office Hours & Location: TBD
Format: Online (50-100% online)
Weeks in length: (15)
Class Meetings per term: (N/A)
Hours per class meeting: (N/A)
Credit hours awarded: (3)
Course Time & Location: Blackboard
Credit Hour Description
For every course credit hour, the typical student should expect to spend at least three clock hours per week of concentrated attention on
course-related work, including but not limited to time attending class, as well as out-of-class time spent reading, reviewing, organizing
notes, preparing for upcoming quizzes/ exams, problem solving, developing and completing projects, and other activities that enhance
learning. Thus, for a three hour course, a typical student should expect to spend at least nine hours per week dedicated to the course.
University Mission Statement
The mission of Southern Arkansas University is to educate students for productive and fulfilling lives in a global environment by providing
opportunities for intellectual growth, individual enrichment, skill development, and meaningful career preparation. The University believes in
the worth of the individual and accepts its responsibility for developing in its students those values and competencies essential for effective
citizenship in an ever-changing, free, and democratic society. Further, the University encourages and supports excellence in teaching,
scholarly, and creative endeavors, and service.
College Mission Statement
The purpose of the College of Science and Technology is to educate students in the basic and applied natural sciences, mathematics,
computer science, agriculture, and nursing to prepare them to enter industrial, governmental, and professional careers as well as
advanced degree studies.
Department Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science is seven-fold. One is to prepare students for careers in both
mathematics and computer science. Another is to prepare students for advanced graduate training in both mathematics and computer
science. A third is to prepare elementary, middle-school, and secondary teachers in the content areas of mathematics and computer
science which are essential to their bachelor of science in education program. A fourth is to prepare graduate students in the content
area of mathematics essential for the master of education degree. A fifth is to provide both minor programs to support a variety of major
programs and service courses in mathematics and computer science in support of other departmental major and minor programs. A sixth is
to support the general education program. The final mission is to offer developmental courses to prepare students for college-level
mathematics.
Learning Goals and Course Content
University Learning Goal: LG 4--Content Knowledge
Department or Program Learning Goal: Graduates will gain a broad knowledge of the computer science field as measured by the Higher
Learning Commission and ADHE (Arkansas Department of Higher Education) best practices of curriculum guidelines in professional or
graduate programs.
Course Description: (Catalog Description: This course will survey network-based and Internet-based security applications and standards
including topics of cryptography. It covers algorithms and protocols underlying network security applications, encryption, hash functions,
digital signatures, and key exchange. Prerequisite: MCIS 5103, MCIS 5113 or equivalents.)
Needed Resources
To successfully complete this course, you will need:
(Required Text: Boyle, Randy, Raymond Panko, “Corporate Computer Security”, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall, 2020. ISBN-10: 0135822785 or
ISBN-13: 978-0135822784
Grading Policies and Procedures
General Rules: (Strategies Used: One of the major ways you will share your progress with your instructor is through submissions to your
electronic portfolio. You will be submitting answers to questions on the reading assignments, reflections, lesson plans and segments you
have created, and other assignments. Other strategies include discussion forums, live voice chat exchanges, viewing video segments and
listening to audio clips. At the end of the course, students will submit a project and the work done for course as a professional portfolio.
Assignments and projects are due at the time indicated on the assignment document. The teaching material posted in Blackboard is
carefully set up in a specific sequence to help you learn, so DON'T SKIP ASSIGNMENTS. Due dates are shown clearly for each assignment.
After the due date, you may lose 20%. Be sure to SAVE and BACK UP everything you do. BEGIN ASSIGNMENTS EARLY in the week they are
assigned so you will have time for questions. Assignments are built to allow plenty of time for questions and technical difficulties as long as
you begin on the date it was assigned. An incomplete grade is given only when there is an emergency near the end of the semester.
CLASSROOM ATTENDANCE
Required Attendance Regulations: Class Attendance
University Graduate Catalog 2014-2015, Page 77:
Each student enrolled in a course is expected to attend all class meetings. A student who is absent from a quiz, examination, or other class
exercise must report to the professor the reason for the class absence. If the cause of absence is acceptable, the instructor may arrange
for the student to make up the work missed. While online courses may not require specific in-class attendance, students are expected to
meet all due dates and requirements as stated in the syllabus.
A student’s absence from class in excess of the equivalent of one week of instruction, or missing three assignment due dates in an online
course, may be reported to the dean of students. At the graduate level, one week of instruction is equivalent to one three-hour class
meeting. The dean of students will then send the student a notice of pending action. The student is advised to contact the instructor as
soon as the notice has been received. Ten calendar days after the report is submitted by the instructor during the regular semester, or after
seven calendar days during a summer session, a student may be dropped from the class for excessive unexcused absences at the request
of the instructor. If this occurs, a grade of WN (withdrawal for non-attendance under extenuating circumstances) or WF (withdrawal with
failure) will be given for the course.
Notification of excessive absences (WN or WF) may not be given during the final two weeks of a semester or the final week of a summer
term.
Grading Policies: (METHODS OF INSTRUCTION : Lecture notes, discussion, handouts and video tutorials, reviews, homework assignments
and solutions, as well as other related materials that will be provided in class and
Blackboard.
SEMESTER GRADE DETERMINATION
Based upon Exams and Assignments.
Points
90 - 100 pts.
80 - 89 pts.
70 - 79 pts.
60 - 69 pts.
0 - 59 pts.
Grade for the Semester
A
B
C
D
F
Grading Scale: (METHOD OF EVALUATION
1.
2.
3.
4.
Quizzes
Labs
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
50%
20%
10 %
20%
Disclaimer:
The instructor reserves the right to amend the course syllabus during the term. If changes must be made, students will be notified.
Hybrid sections Exams: “All significant exams in a hybrid section will be taken in the classroom including the final”
Online Sections Exams: “All significant exams in an on-line course will be proctored as designated by the instructor. This may include using
an online fee based licensed testing centers/services at High Schools, Universities, Public Libraries and/or ProctorU®".
Additional University Policies
Disability Support Services: It is the policy of SAU to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to federal law, state law, and the
University's commitment to equal education opportunities. Any student with a disability who needs accommodation should inform the
instructor at the beginning of the course. Students with disabilities are also encouraged to contact the Office of Disabilities Support
Services, Room 216 Reynolds Center, 870-235-4145.
Academic Integrity Policy: Academic integrity at SAU is an organizational and individual responsibility to honesty in all learning experiences.
Any act of dishonesty in academic work constitutes academic misconduct and is subject to disciplinary action. Acts of dishonesty include,
but are not limited to:
A. Plagiarism--the act of taking and/or using the ideas, work, and/or writings of another person as one’s own.
B. Cheating--an act of dishonesty with the intention of obtaining and/or using information in a fraudulent manner.
C. Fabrication--faking or forging a document, signature or findings of a research project.
Attendance Requirements
1.
2.
3.
Students are expected to attend all classes regularly, with a minimum of 80% attendance for each term of enrollment. In this case,
“term of enrollment” extends to and includes the last day of final exams in a given term.
Students who miss total three (3) class meetings (>20% absences) during a term will be placed on attendance probation for the
remainder of that term. The Student must report to the chair within 7 days if they miss three classes.
While on attendance probation, any additional absences will result in possible dismissal from the course, and termination from the
program.
Final Exam and Academic Integrity Policy Addendum
All final exams plus at least one test or midterm, for the face to face and online courses will be proctored in person face-2face on campus freely (Location, time and dates TBA). You are encouraged but not required to come to campus, in person
proctored exams for 100% online courses may be completed at any off campus authorized proctoring services. You will be
responsible for any fees. A student may choose their own testing site provided it can be vetted by the department as a
legitimate testing location. Offsite locations must be able to provide an educational testing setting with individual
monitoring services for the duration of each exam (such as a testing center at a university). Please contact William McGee
for the authorization of your selected test center if on campus is not an option for you. Once you locate a proctoring
service, you must provide the full contact information, such as name of the facility, a contact name, phone number, email
address and web if any to Mr. William McGee at WilliamMcGee@saumag.edu. This information must be received through
email by Mr. McGee by 5:00 p.m. Monday, February 5. If you do not provide this information by the deadline you will be
required to take the test on campus. Family members, friends, public libraries, businesses, and online agencies are
examples of UNAPPROVABLE facilities.
Cell Phone Policy Exams
No cell phone, ipods, ipads, or other electronic devices are allowed during an exam. No talking is allowed during an exam.
If devices are discovered in use during an exam or if cheating is suspected, you will receive an F in the course and will be
reported for an academic integrity violation.
Academic Integrity Policy:
Southern Arkansas University affirms its commitment to academic integrity and expects all members of the University
community to accept shared responsibility for maintaining academic integrity. Students in this course are subject to the
provisions of the University’s Academic Integrity Policy, approved by the president and published in the Student Handbook.
Penalties for academic misconduct in a course will be an automatic failing grade in the course. Continued enrollment in
this course affirms a student’s acceptance of this University policy.
Any act of dishonesty in academic work constitutes academic misconduct and is subject to disciplinary action. Acts of
dishonesty include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, or fabrication.
A. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking and/or using the ideas, work, and/or writings of another person as one’s own.
i. To avoid plagiarism, give written credit and acknowledgement to the source of thoughts, ideas, and/or words,
whether you have used direct quotation, paraphrasing, or just a reference to a general idea.
ii. If you directly quote works written by someone else, enclose the quotation with quotation marks and provide an
appropriate citation (e.g., footnote, endnote, bibliographical reference).
iii. Research, as well as the complete written paper, must be the work of the person seeking academic credit for
the course. (Papers, book reports, projects and/or other class assignments are not to be purchased from individuals
or companies which provide these services.)
B. Cheating
Cheating is an act of dishonesty with the intention of obtaining and/or using information in a fraudulent manner. Examples
of cheating include:
i. Observing and/or copying from another student’s test paper, reports, computer files, and/or other assignments.
ii. Giving or receiving assistance during an examination period. (This includes providing specific answers to
subsequent examinees and/or dispensing or receiving information which would allow a student to have an unfair
advantage in the examination over students who did not possess such information.)
iii. Using class notes, outlines, and other unauthorized information during an examination period.
iv. Using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting, in part or entirety, the contents of an examination or
other assignment not authorized by the professor of the class.
v. Exchanging places with another person for the purposes of taking an examination or completing other
assignments.
C. Fabrication
Fabrication is faking or forging a document, signature, or findings of a research project.
i. Fabrication is most commonly associated with falsified research findings.
ii. Other forms of fabrication may include unauthorized collaboration or submitting the same paper or portions of
the same paper to two different courses without the consent of both instructors.
IF YOU ARE OBSERVED CHEATING, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN “F” AND BE REPORTED TO THE APPROPRIATE UNIVERSITY
AUTHORITIES.
SCHEDULE AND EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOME S
Schedule
Content
Lecture Outlines and Expected Outcomes
Module 1
The Threat
•
Basic security terminology and threat environment
Environment
•
Adversaries/Malicious Actors: Insiders, hackers, malware writers, foreign entities
•
Motivation of the adversaries
•
Types and processes of attacks
•
Cyberwar and cyber terror
Module 2
Planning and
•
Security management cycle.
Policy
•
Compliance laws and regulations.
•
Organizational security issues.
•
Risk analysis.
•
Technical security infrastructure.
•
Policy-driven implementation.
•
Governance frameworks
Module 3
Cryptography
•
Concept of cryptography.
•
Symmetric and public key encryption
•
Cryptographic authentication protocols.
•
Electronic signatures (digital signatures, digital certificates, HMACs).
•
Quantum security.
•
Cryptographic systems including VPNs, SSL, and IPsec.
Module 4
Secure
•
Denial-of-service attacks
Networks
•
ARP poisoning
•
Secure Ethernet networks.
•
Potential attacks against wireless networks and Wireless (WLAN) security standards
Module 5
Access
•
Basic access control terminology.
Control
•
Physical building and computer security.
•
Password policies
•
Access cards and tokens work.
•
Biometric authentication, including verification and identification.
•
Cryptographic Authentication
•
Authorizations.
•
Auditing.
•
Central authentication server.
•
Directory server and Federated Identity Management.
Module 6
Firewalls
•
Firewalls operation, architecture and load management/challenges.
•
Static packet filtering works.
•
Stateful packet inspection (SPI) for main border firewalls.
•
Network address translation (NAT).
•
Application proxy firewalls and content filtering in SPI firewalls.
•
Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) and intrusion prevention systems (IPSs).
•
Antivirus filtering.
•
Firewall architectures.
•
Describe firewall management (defining policies, implementing policies, reading logs.
Module 7
Host
•
Host hardening, security baselines and images, and systems administration.
Hardening
•
Important server operating systems
•
Vulnerabilities and patches.
•
Managing users and groups.
•
Managing permissions.
•
PC security management.
•
Testing for vulnerabilities.
Module 8
Application
•
Steps for securing applications.
Security
•
Securing WWW services and e-commerce services.
•
Vulnerabilities in web browsers.
•
Securing e-mail.
•
Securing voice over IP (VoIP).
•
Securing TCP/IP supervisory applications.
Module 9
Data
•
Backup scope and methods.
Protection
•
Different RAID levels.
•
Data storage policies.
•
Database access controls, auditing, and encryption.
•
Data leakage and data theft.
•
Data deletion, destruction, and disposal.
•
Digital rights management (DRM).
Module
Incident and
•
Incident response process for major incidents.
10
Disaster
•
Legal considerations.
Response
•
Necessity of backup.
•
Functions and types of intrusion detection systems (IDSs).
•
Importance of education, certification, and awareness.
•
Business continuity planning.
•
Advantages of data centers.
•
IT disaster recovery process.