NYU Internet Security Class
Fall '23 - ECE-GY 9383
General Information
(Update: September 5, 2023: Danny is still updating the website. All contents are subject to change. Once the contents are finalized, Danny will remove this message.)
Teaching staff:
Instructor: Prof. Danny Y. Huang (please reach out via EdStem)
Course Assistant: Sayam Dhingra
Time:
Class: 14:00 - 16:30 every Thursday
Office hours:
Instructor's office hours: 16:30 - 17:30 every Thursday (in person)
Course Assistants' Zoom office hours: 12:00 - 13:00 every Wednesday (same zoom link as below)
Location:
In person attendance: Pfizer Auditorium
Live streaming: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/94769131089 - The passcode is here (NYU access only).
Bring your computer and/or phone to class. We will be very interactive!
Tools:
Communication: EdStem: https://edstem.org/us/courses/46995/discussion/
Labs: GradeScope: https://www.gradescope.com/courses/614672
Exams: TBD
Evaluation
Format:
Labs: submit through GradeScope
Exams: submit through TBD
Project: presentation and report (PDF)
Distribution of points (100 points max):
Class participation
9 points: Homework assignment: You get points for simply completing all questions in a homework assignment. We will not grade for correctness. Feel free to work in groups of no more than 5 students.
3 points: completing Assignment 1
3 points: completing Assignment 2
3 points: completing Assignment 3
16 points: In-class interactive exercises. You get points for completing the interactive polls (through Mentimeter) in class. Again, we will not grade for correctness. You can participate in person or over Zoom.
10 points: Asking good questions, e.g., by shouting your question in person during class, or writing down your question on EdStem during class or after class. A good question will be marked as "endorsed". If you shout out your question in person, make sure to record your question on EdStem later to remind Danny to endorse it. I will rank each student by the number of "endorsed" questions on EdStem. If there are N students in the class and your ranking is 1 (top), you'll get 10 points; if your ranking is R, you'll get (N - R + 1) / N * 10 points.
5 points: Answering others' questions on EdStem. Again, a good answer will be marked as "endorsed", and the points will be awarded using the algorithm above.
10 points: Optional class project
3 points: Participating in a research study
2 points: Attending a CSAW event and posting on social media
1 point for each #QuestionOfTheDay award
Quizzes (70 points): You have to take these quizzes on your computer, either in class or remotely, at designated time periods. You should complete the quizzes individually. You can use Google or LLM tools (e.g., ChatGPT), but you cannot collaborate with or ask a real human for help.
10 points: networking fundamentals (September 21)
20 points: Quiz 1:
20 points: Quiz 2
20 points: Quiz 3
Calculation of grade: Your final score will be a sum of the points above with the cap of 100. The final grade will be calculated based on this method. The final grade is not curved.
Missed deadlines: If you miss a quiz for whatever reasons, you will have a choice of scheduling a 10-minute Zoom call with Danny during the final exam period, where Danny will ask you relevant questions and you'll have to answer in real time (just like a technical interview). For example, if you miss N quizzes (where 1 < N < 3), you will be graded based on the 10-minute Zoom call with a total of 20N points.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course you will have acquired the following knowledge:
A firm grasp on how networks are attacked and techniques used.
An understating of the inherent insecurity of networking and networking protocols.
Understand the fundamentals of secure network design
Foundation of the issues involved in providing secure network communications
Understand the underlying cryptography required for electronic commerce, secure communications, and authentication
Obtain a hands-on understanding of network security through laboratory work
Individual Work and Collaboration Policy
You must complete the quizzes without the help of another human.
You may use automated tools, such as Google and ChatGPT (or any LLM tools).
Collaborating with and/or seeking the help from another human (e.g., over instant messaging or over Chegg) is considered cheating. You will get a zero for that quiz.
Prerequisites
You are expected to have basic networking knowledge, such as the following:
Background in undergraduate or graduate networking.
Ethernet, IP, TCP, UDP, ports
Application protocols, such as HTTP, HTTPS, SSL/TLS, DNS
Although you are not expected to have a detailed understanding of the above (e.g., explaining how the TCP Window works), you should be able to at least describe the concepts at a high level and explain the relationships among the different concepts.
If you are not sure whether you have the prerequisite background knowledge, check out this sample quiz below. If you cannot comfortably answer the questions in the quiz, you are encouraged to take the following online courses for free prior to the start of the semester and learn about the concepts above.
Sample Quiz
Here is a sample quiz that tests your understanding of the basic knowledge required for this class. If you think you can comfortably answer all of the questions below, you are likely equipped with the prerequisite knowledge to excel in the class. Otherwise, feel free to take the online courses listed above and/or speak with the instructor.
Your friend, Alex, complains that she cannot access the Internet on her phone.
Let’s say Alex complains to you over the phone. What questions would you ask Alex to help her troubleshoot?
Let’s say you’re in the same room as Alex. You’re both wearing masks. What would you do to help Alex regain Internet connectivity?
On your desktop browser, you type “www.google.com” hit “enter”.
If you are intercepting all packets leaving and entering your computer, what types of packets do you expect to see?
Why do you see such packets?
Hint: Think about DNS, IP, TCP, and HTTP. Bonus points if you can answer with respect to TLS, CDNs, and/or data centers.
Online Courses
To learn the prerequisite materials, I recommend taking the following courses:
Google’s Networking Class on Coursera
You can audit the class for free.
Recommended contents from the Coursera course:
Watch all videos under “Week 1”, “Week 2”, “Week 3”, and “Week 4.
Optionally, watch all videos under “Week 5” and “Week 6”.
To complement the Coursea class above, check out the following YouTube videos from Princeton’s Networking Class
Videos 26-32: IP
Videos 33-34: Routing, autonomous systems
Videos 85-89: DNS
Videos 146-151: HTTP
Videos 154-159: CDNs
Textbooks
To supplment the online courses, read the following chapters of the Computer Networks Textbook (5th Edition) by Larry Peterson et al.
Chapter 2.6 - Ethernet
Chapter 3 - Inter-networking
Chapter 4 - Internet routing
Chapter 5.1 and 5.2 - UDP and TCP
Chapter 9.1.2 - HTTP
Chapter 9.3.1 - DNS
Inclusion Statement
The NYU Tandon School values an inclusive and equitable environment for all our students. I hope to foster a sense of community in this class and consider it a place where individuals of all backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious and political affiliations, and abilities will be treated with respect. It is my intent that all students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. If this standard is not being upheld, please feel free to speak with me.
Moses Center Statement of Disability
If you are a student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at https://www.nyu.edu/students/communities-and-groups/student-accessibility.html. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 2nd floor.
Title XI
Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender are civil rights offenses subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, etc. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find the appropriate resources: https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/equal-opportunity/title9.html