Network Systems Security

This course focuses on network security. It begins with a review of various forms of network attacks including port scanning, exploits, buffer overflow, privilege escalation, SQL injection, distributed denial-of-service attacks, and arithmetic underflow/overflow. Understand data exfiltration and advanced persistent threats.

Fundamentals of number theory, discrete mathematics, and cryptography such as symmetric encryption, message digests, and public key crypto will be studied in depth. Advanced topics in information theory, cryptoanalysis using entropy identifiers will be introduced.

For network stacks, different security tools and protocols at different layers of network stacks such as Layer 3 (IPSEC), Layer 4 (SSL/TLS), and Layer 7 (kerberos). Various defense mechanisms were introduced. Intrusion detection systems, viruses, firewalls VPNs, and other security tools. Finally, wireless security issues (Layer 2) was also discussed.1

Runyan, D. (2024). Networked Systems Security Syllabus. Old Dominion University Canvas.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will (Runyan, 2024):

• Gain experience with the online course system.
• Recognize the general purpose and goals of the online course
• Gain the importance of network security.
• Familiarize with several terminologies that are used to define network, information, and computer security.
• Distinguish between different network technologies
• Identify different threats, vulnerabilities, and various types of attacks and hacks in network
• Identify the role of cryptography in network security and information security
• Gain knowledge on digital signatures, digital certificates, and the concept of a public key infrastructure
• Solidify mathematical foundations of cryptography, number theory and information theory
• Perform basic cryptoanalysis based on entropy on examples such as BASE64 encodings
• Familiarize with typical Authentication Systems and Human Authentication Mechanisms
• Describe IP security
• Explain different security systems to secure transport layer.
• Distinguish between different mechanisms for web security.
• Analyze the threats of intruders and malicious software
• Explain systems for intrusion detections and countermeasures for malicious software
• Identify the concept of a firewall, pros and cons, and explains how it functions.
• Explains the functioning of virtual private networks (VPNs) and how it works.
• Identify the threats and vulnerabilities associated with 802.11 wireless networks

Course Material

Network Security–IP Security:

Question 3 Acess Link:

Question 6 Acess Link:

Network Security–Web and Transport-Level Security: