CIS 5370 Computer Security - Spring 2025

Time & Place

• Lecture Room: HCB (Huge Classroom Building) 0215
• Lecture Times: Tuesday, Thursday, 6:35 p.m. - 7:50 p.m.

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dr. Xin Liu
• Email: xliu15@fsu.edu
• Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  Available in person or via Zoom (appointment required).
• Office: James Jay Love Building, 160

Prerequisites

• CDA 3100: Understanding of computer orgnization.
• COP 4610: Understanding of opearting sytem.
• COP 4530: Understanding of data structures.

Course Material

• Lecture Notes: Availabl edirectly on this website.
• Textbook: Wenliang Du, Computer Security: A Hands-on Approach, 3rd Edition, 2022.

Course Setup

• Multipass Virtual Machine: We recommend using Multipass as your virtual machine. It is lightweight, works on both Windows and macOS, and integrates with Visual Studio Code for debugging.
• Lecture Code: Before each class, please download or clone the [lecture code] from our GitHub repository to follow along with coding exercises.
• Bring Your Laptop: If possible, bring your laptop to class so we can debug and test code together in real-time.

Computer Accounts

• You will need a Computer Science account. If you don’t have one, you can obtain it using the following link: https://system.cs.fsu.edu/newuser/cs-account-setup/.
• You will also need a my.fsu.edu account for receiving class emails. If you wish, you can forward your FSU email to other accounts. For more information, visit: https://servicecenter.fsu.edu/s/article/Email-Account-Management-Information2.

Your Responsibilities

• Check the course website and your email account regularly.
• Understand the lecture slides and reading assignments.
• Uphold academic honesty in completing your assignments, projects, and exams.
• Turn in your projects on time.
• Attend office hours for extra help, as needed.

Course Calendar (Tentative)

Week	Date	Topic	Notes
1	1/7 (Tu)	Course Syllabus [PDF] L1: What is Hacking? [PDF]	Mandatory first-day attendance. No-shows will be dropped.
	1/9 (Th)	L2: Introduction [PDF]	HW 1 Posted on Canvas
Section 1: Memory Security
2	1/14 (Tu)	L3-4: Exploiting Buffer Overflow [PDF][Code] (Stack Layout & Offset Calculation)
	1/16 (Th)		HW 1 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET) HW 2 Posted on GitHub Classroom
3	1/21 (Tu)	No Class Due to Wintry Weather.
	1/23 (Th)	No Class Due to Wintry Weather.
4	1/28 (Tu)	L5: Exploiting Buffer Overflow [PDF][Code] (Injecting Shellcode & Countermeasures)	HW 2 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET) HW 3 Posted on GitHub Classroom
	1/30 (Th)	L6: Hacking the Execution Flow [PDF][Code] (From ELF to EXE and Beyond)	Project 1 Posted on GitHub Classroom
5	2/4 (Tu)	L7-9: Intruding Address Space [PDF][Code] (How to Make Mods for Games)
	2/6 (Th)		HW 3 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET)
6	2/11 (Tu)		Project 2 Posted on GitHub Classroom
	2/13 (Th)	L10-12: Bypassing Modern Protections [PDF][Code] (Dynamic Linking, GOT, PLT, ret2libc, ROP, GOT Leak)	Project 1 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET)
7	2/18 (Tu)		CTF 1 Posted on GitHub Classroom
	2/20 (Th)
8	2/25 (Tu)	L13: SUID & ENV Attacks [PPT][Code]
	2/27 (Th)	L14: Format String Vulnerability [PPT][Code]
	2/28 (F)		CTF 1 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET)
9	3/4 (Tu)	Midterm Exam Review [Code]	Proj 2 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET) Project 3 Posted on GitHub Classroom HW 4 Posted on GitHub Classroom
	3/6 (Th)	Midterm Exam (6:35 p.m. – 7:50 p.m.)
10	3/11 (Tu)	No Class Due to Spring Break.
	3/13 (Th)	No Class Due to Spring Break.
Section 2: Coucurrency Security
11	3/18 (Tu)	L15: Concurrent Programming [PDF][Code] (Spinlock, Producer-Consumer, Condition Variables)
	3/20 (Th)	L16: Real-World Concurrency [PDF][Code] (Web, HPC, Data Center, AI)	HW 4 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET)
12	3/25 (Tu)	L17: Context Switching and File Linking [PDF][Code] (Interrupts, Context Switching, Hard Links, and Symbolic Links)	Proj 3 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET)
	3/27 (Th)	L18: Race Condition Vulnerability [PPT][Code]	HW 5 Posted on GitHub Classroom
13	4/1 (Tu)	L19: Dirty COW [PPT][Code]
	4/3 (Th)	L20: Meltdown and Spectre Attack [PPT][Code]
14	4/8 (Tu)	L21: Concurrency Bugs and Debugging	HW 5 DDL at 11:59 PM (ET)
	4/10 (Th)
15	4/15 (Tu)
	4/17 (Th)
16	4/22 (Tu)
	4/24 (Th)	Final Exam Review
17	4/29 (Tu)	No Class Due to Final Examination Week.
	5/1 (Th)	Final Exam (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) NO MAKE-UPs

Grading Policy

• Class Attendance (In-Class Quizzes): 8%
• HW Assignments: 12%
• Midterm Exam: 15%
• Final Exam (cumulative): 20%
• CTF Competitions: 10%
• Hands-on Exploitation Projects (X total): 35%

Course Policies

University Attendance Policy

Excused absences include documented illnesses, family emergencies, active military duty, jury duty, religious holy days, and official university activities. Accommodations will be made to ensure students with valid excuses are not arbitrarily penalized. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.

For illness-related absences, the following standards apply:

• U.S.-Based Medical Documentation: All medical excuses must come from a U.S.-based medical facility or licensed professional who can be reasonably contacted by the instructor in English through a U.S.-based phone number or email address.
• English-Language Medical Notes: All medical documentation must be written or typed in English. This ensures clear verification and avoids subjective interpretation by the student.
• Proactive Communication: If these standards cannot be met, the student must inform the instructor proactively during the first week of class. In cases of illness, students should also contact FSU Case Management Services for assistance.

By adhering to these guidelines, we aim to maintain fairness and consistency in accommodating excused absences.

Academic Honor Policy

The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University's expectations for the integrity of students' academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to "...be honest and truthful and...[to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University." (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://fda.fsu.edu/Academics/Academic-Honor-Policy).

For this course, in particular, every student must complete his/her assignments, quizzes, and exams independently. Showing your work to your peers or making it accessible to them is considered academic dishonesty. You are responsible for ensuring that your work is adequately protected and not accessible to others.

Missed Exam Policy

Unexcused missed exams and HW will be given a grade of 0. See the University Attendance Policy for a discussion of valid reasons to excuse absences (https://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/graduate/information/academic_regulations/).

Late Policy and Make-up Exams

• Assignments are due at the beginning of the class on the due date. Assignments turned in late, but before the beginning of the next scheduled class will be penalized by 10 %. Assignments that are more than one class period late will NOT be accepted.
• No credit will be given to late course projects.
• No make-up exams (except under extremely unusual circumstances).

Grade of “I” Policy

Incomplete (“I”) grades should be recorded only in exceptional cases when a student, who has completed a substantial portion of the course and who is otherwise passing, is unable to complete a well-defined portion of a course for reasons beyond the student’s control. Students in these circumstances must petition the instructor and should be prepared to present documentation that substantiates their case.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:

1. Register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC).
2. Bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and the specific type required.

Please note that instructors cannot provide classroom accommodations until appropriate verification from the SDRC has been received. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative formats upon request.

For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, please contact the SDRC:
Address: 874 Traditions Way, 108 Student Services Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
Phone: (850) 644-9566 (voice), (850) 644-8504 (TDD)
Email: sdrc@admin.fsu.edu
Website: http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu

Confidential Campus Resources

Various centers and programs are available to assist students with navigating stressors that might impact academic success. These include the following:

• Victim Advocate Program: University Center A, Room 4100, (850) 644-7161, Available 24/7/365, Office Hours: M-F 8-5, https://dsst.fsu.edu/vap
• University Counseling Center: Askew Student Life Center, 2nd Floor, 942 Learning Way. (850) 644-8255, https://counseling.fsu.edu/
• University Health Services: Health and Wellness Center, (850) 644-6230, https://uhs.fsu.edu/

Free Tutoring from FSU

On-campus tutoring and writing assistance is available for many courses at Florida State University. For more information, visit the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Tutoring Services’ comprehensive list of on-campus tutoring options at http://ace.fsu.edu/tutoring or contact tutor@fsu.edu. High-quality tutoring is available by appointment and on a walk-in basis. These services are offered by tutors trained to encourage the highest level of individual academic success while upholding personal academic integrity.

Syllabus Change Policy

Except for changes that substantially affect the implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.