CMPT 783: Cybersecurity Lab II

We will use CourSys for all class materials, discussions and grading.

Your grade will be:

Labs (45%)
- Includes initial report and final report for each lab
Presentation (5%)
Project (30%)
Quizzes (20%)

Syllabus

The topics covered in this course are:

I. System security

Shellcode development
Buffer overflow
Control-flow attacks and defenses
Format string vulnerabilities
Return-to-libc attacks
Return Oriented Programming

II. Network Security

Network architecture and routing
ARP/ICMP
Network analysis
TCP/IP attacks
DNS attacks
Firewalls
VPNs

Presentation

Each group of 3-4 will give one presentation during our Wednesday labs. Your presentation should be a deep dive into a security topic that you find interesting, with a focus on technical aspects. You are encouraged to use academic papers to support your presentation.

Your presentation will be graded on:

Depth (50%). Show that you have mastered the material you are presenting; show insights beyond a Wikipedia entry or an AI response.
Presentation technique (30%). This includes slides and any other materials; they should be clear, concise, well organized, and professional.
Speech (20%). Speak confidently, loudly, and practice before your presentation.

Generally one group will receive one grade, but an exception will be made in the case of serious issues with the presentation, such as powerpoint karaoke or reading from a script.

Sign-up link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A45A8AB28A0FDCF8-61522321-2026. Sign up deadline is Jan 28. Choose your slots early!

Lecture videos

Your presentation group will be the same as your project group.

Project

See Project explainer for grading and details.

Deadlines

Project proposal (Feb 7th): Form a group and decide on a project topic. Submit a project proposal.
First project progress report (March 7th)
Second project progress report (March 24th)
Presentation + Demo (Apr 7th, in class)
Final project report (Apr 14th)

Example topics

IoT vulnerabilities and defenses
Automated vulnerability analysis
Advanced persistent threats, malware technique analysis
Intrusion prevention and detection systems
Trusted code execution
Network anomaly detection

Marking

Your project will be graded on the following:

Progress Reports (10%)
Presentation (30%) - communication skill, clarity, organization, and content;
Report (20%) - professional writing, organization, and content;
Code deliverable (40%) - novelty, impact, scale, and security skills demonstrated.

Schedule

Classes are held on Tuesdays from 2:30 PM to 4:20 PM at RCB 7100. Recordings will only be made and sent to you if you give me a reason for missing attendance before class.

There are two labs per week, at SECB 1013:

Wednesday, 2:30 PM to 4:20 PM. Attendance is required. You are asked to submit an initial report after each Wednesday lab. We will also do presentations and quizzes during this time.
Friday, 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM. Attendance is not mandatory and a TA (Sam Shadbeh) will be available to help you with your lab assignment and report.

Full lab reports will be due on the following Tuesday.

Please e-mail me if you need to meet me at other times or in person.