Staff Information

Meeting Times

Course Description:

The application of mobile and wireless devices has grown rapidly in military and commercial environments. The functionality and reliability of these devices has grown tremendously. The mobile and wireless nature of these devices raise new and important security challenges not usually present in static environments. This course will address these challenges including the security functionality, protocol, and assurance issues associated with this emerging technology. Prerequisites: CS3600 and CS3690 and CS4537.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the security implications inherent in wireless devices, as compared to their wired counterparts, e.g. broadcast communications, mobility, etc.
• Understand the unique attack vectors faced by wireless networks and required wireless-specific security strategies to mitigate attacks.
• Learn fundamentals of wireless exploitation techniques, and gain hands-on experience attacking wireless networks and devices via laboratory experiments.
• Understand the use of cryptographic primitives in specific wireless applications, including: 802.11, GSM, RFID, and bluetooth.
• Understand techniques to secure wireless devices and networks.

Course Schedule:

A mix of interactive lectures and problem solving exercises will be used to investigate the topic material in class. Students are responsible for reading the material in the text that supports each topic of discussion prior to its presentation. Supplemental material may be provided as necessary to augment material in the text. Our schedule will evolve over the duration of the quarter; check back frequently as this website is the primary mode of coordination.

Textbook:

None required. Use the course website for papers, lectures, and handouts.

Optional references:

• Real 802.11 Security, by Jon Edney and William A. Arbaugh ISBN: 0-321-13620-9
• Wi-Foo: The Secrets of Wireless Hacking, by Andrew Vladimirov and Konstantin V. G ISBN 0-321-20217-1
• Applied Cryptography, by Bruce Schneier ISBN 978-0-471-11709-4

Grading:

Late work accrues a penalty of 10% off per business day.
Academic honesty: abide by the NPS Honor Code, no exceptions.

Labs:

As this is an applied course on wireless security, there is a strong emphasis on the labs which account for 50% of your grade. Labs will be assigned on the web site and will be worked on both in and out of lab time. During lab time, the professor will be available to assist. Some labs will span multiple weeks: due dates will be posted on the class schedule. You may discuss your lab with others in the class, but your solutions and writeup must be your own. You must list all collaborators.

Labs should be turned in via the CLE website under the assignments section. The writeup should be in PDF format. No other formats accepted.