| Category | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| HW | 7 |
| Exams | 7 |
| Participation | 2 |
Introduction to Computer Security is a great courses to take both (1) if you are interested in pursuing the Computer Security path, (2) or if you are just taking it for the Software track requirement for B.S. in ECE.
If you have taken 15213 Introduction to Computer Systems, you are quite suited for taking the course. The course is composed of 11 HWs, 3 Exams, and interactive recitations. Prior math background dealing with logic and proofs by reduction help a lot for the cryptography segment of this course, though its not absolutely necessary. However, knowledge and understanding of Computer Systems help.
This guide will attempt to clear up some of these ambiguities and give pointers to future students who want take the course.
The course staff recommends students attend lecture. While you could probably go through this course without attending lecture, lecture is a great time to ask questions, discuss with classmates to better understand the problems. Lectures are crucial to this course as they serve as the basis for Homework assignments and Exams. The lectures do a good job of giving high-level ideas of what the course staff is looking for, and has tons of content to absorb.
Attendance is also very important in this course. There are in-class polls that can give you few extra points. As the homework and exams are the major portion of this course, Lectures are your chance to learn and ask questions.
The topics can be quite challenging, so it is crucial for you to attend all lectures and recitations for maximal help. A few bootcamps are also hosted throughout the semester to provide additional practice/resources.
HW is a big part of the course, where you first learn basic materials in class, and you will spend most time doing the HW assignments. The HWs are challenging, but it will learn most about Computer Security through doing HWs and prepare for the exam.
You will have 11 HW assignments, and they vary from easy to hard difficulty. Usually, they consist of a mix of written problems and autograded code problems. Depending on your background, you may find certain homework less time consuming then other. It may be helpful to review your knowledge of assembly code as the first portion of the course covers low-level vulnerabilities (the first few assignments can be seen as an extension of attack lab)
It is helpful to go to office hours for help.
Exams are difficult and often time consuming. But if you did your HW problems and put much thought into solving all of the problems Exams will not be too hard. Students often find the second exam the hardest, but it might be just because the materials covered in the second exam is more unfamiliar to students. Each exam is not quite related to another, so think of it as a separate exam, separate topics.