Syllabus for CMP-500

NETWORK AND COMPUTER SECURITY

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for graduate students going into information technology (IT) security who have some understanding of networks but not necessarily any background in network and computer security. The course covers fundamentals of corporate and network security technologies and provides you with the ability to identify, analyze, solve, and manage network-related security problems in computer and network systems. In addition, the course introduces students to practical problems and challenges encountered when managing computer networks. Its goal is to provide students with a solid foundation of computer and network security tools and a strong managerial focus to apply, manage, and make these tools work. This includes fundamentals of securing networks and defending networks from security attacks. Topics include understanding security threats to a network, network vulnerabilities, preventing and detecting network intrusions, and principles and practice of cryptography and its application to network security.

COURSE TOPICS

• Networking concepts and the network security threat environment
• Planning and defending against network and computer threats and intrusions
• Principles and practice of cryptography and its application to network security
• Access control fundamentals and strategies
• Firewalls as electronic gates to networks
• Host and data security
• Application security
• Incident response and disaster recovery

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Explain underlying networking concepts fundamental to computer and network security.
2. Develop strategies and policies of network security planning.
3. Establish architecture, technology, and policy to build and harden a secure network that thwarts threats and prevents them from becoming consequences.

4. Secure network components with technology at the perimeter, on hosts, and on networks as part of architecture to ensure infrastructure security.
5. Use cryptography and cryptographic authentication to ensure private communications and the integrity of the message and to authenticate the sender of the message.
6. Develop, implement, and manage access to systems, data, and dialogues.
7. Establish and manage cryptographic system standards, including threats to wireless cellular technologies and IEEE 802.11 security issues.
8. Apply host-based security applications to manage the security and special needs in major application software (e.g., WWW, e-commerce, e-mail, VOIP, databases, instant messaging, spreadsheets, and TCP/IP Supervisory protocols).
9. Institute, manage, and implement an incident and disaster response plan.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.

Required Textbook

• Boyle, R. J., & Panko, R. R. (2013). Corporate computer security (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
  ISBN-13: 978-0132145350 [Also available as a CourseSmart etextbook, ISBN-13: 978-0132146227]

Recommended Textbook (Optional)

• Lowe, D. (2013). Networking all-in-one for dummies (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

ISBN-13: 978-1118380987

COURSE STRUCTURE

Network and Computer Security is a three-credit online course, consisting of six modules. Modules include topics, objectives, study materials (including study notes, PowerPoint presentations, and self-check questions), and activities (including online discussion forums, written assignments, and a module-ending quiz). Module titles are listed below.

• Module 1: Network Threats and Planning to Meet Those Threats

Course objectives covered in this module: 1–9

• Module 2: Networking Concepts, Cryptography, and Cryptographic System Standards

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9

• Module 3: Access Control

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 2, and 6

• Module 4: Firewalls and Host and Data Security

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 2, 3, and 4

• Module 5: Application Security

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 2, 3, and 8

• Module 6: Incident and Disaster Response

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 2, 6, and 9

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in ten online discussion forums, complete six written assignments, take six unproctored online quizzes, take a proctored midterm, and take a proctored final examination. See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

Network and Computer Security requires you to participate in ten graded discussion forums worth 15% of your course grade. There is also an ungraded but required Introductions Forum in Module 1 and optional forums for discussing and seeking clarification on the textbook's "Test Your Understanding Questions."

Communication among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete six written assignments worth 30% of your course grade. The written assignments consist of questions derived from end-of-chapter questions in the textbook.

Module Quizzes

You are required to complete six unproctored online quizzes. Each module concludes with a short online quiz based on the module's assigned reading. Each quiz consists of twenty multiple-choice questions. There is no time limit on the quiz—you have as much time as you need to complete each question—but you may not return to a question once you have answered it and must complete the quiz once you have started it.

Be sure you are comfortable answering all of the "Test Your Understanding Questions" and have studied the material in the text and the chapter study notes carefully before you take each quiz.

Module quizzes (together worth 15% of your course grade) may be taken only once. 

Examinations

You are required to take two proctored online examinations: a midterm and a final, each worth 20% of your course grade. Both exams require that you use the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures.

Exams are administered in the Examinations area of the course Web site.

Midterm Examination

The midterm exam is two hours long and covers material from Modules 1–3. It consists of multiple-choice questions derived from the textbook's "Test Your Understanding Questions."

Final Examination

The final exam is two hours long and covers material from Modules 4–6. Like the midterm, it consists of multiple-choice questions derived from the textbook's "Test Your Understanding Questions."

Statement about Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

• Discussion forums (10)—15%
• Written assignments (6)—30%

• Module quizzes (6)—15%
• Midterm exam (proctored, Modules 1–3)—20% percent
• Final exam (proctored, Modules 4–6)—20%

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

• Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

• Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State University.

• Arrange to take your examinations by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

• Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

• If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

• To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the Course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

• Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC POLICIES

To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.

For more, see:

• University-wide policies
• Undergraduate course policies and regulations
• Graduate academic policies
• Nursing student policies
• Academic code of conduct