## ##   * Overview
  * Programs
  * Courses
Cybersecurity combines essential computer science with conceptual and
practical specialization in security to prepare students for hands-on, deeply
technical work in the field. The ability to frame problems, select
computational models, design program structures, and develop efficient
algorithms is as important in computer science as software implementation
skill. All cybersecurity students take the standard computer science course
sequence, covering content such as basic programming, object-oriented design,
computer architecture and operating systems, computer networks and distributed
systems, and algorithmic complexity and computability theory. These courses
lay the foundation for cybersecurity-specific coursework.
Cybersecurity coursework covers key areas in the field, from a broad overview
of the topical space (including threat modeling, symmetric and asymmetric key
cryptography, authentication, access control, social engineering, simple
exploits, basic systems security, malware, the cybercrime underground, and
advanced persistent threat actors) to deep dives into the design of secure
operation systems and applications. Fundamental topics include analyzing
prevalent classes of attacks against systems; security vulnerabilities and
defense techniques; limitation of damage and strategic recovery; design and
implementation of distributed authentication protocols; and existing
standardized security protocols and legal infrastructure relating to privacy,
data ethics, data security, hacking, automation, and intellectual property. In
addition, cybersecurity students have access to a wide array of electives,
including courses on wireless networking, software vulnerabilities,
cybersecurity risk management and assessment, digital forensics, and
criminology.
## Bachelor of Science (BS)
  * [Cybersecurity](/undergraduate/computer-information-science/cybersecurity/cybersecurity-bs/)
**CY 2550. Foundations of Cybersecurity. (4 Hours)**
Presents an overview of basic principles and security concepts related to
information systems, including workstation security, system security, and
communications security. Discusses legal, ethical, and human factors and
professional issues associated with cybersecurity, including the ability to
differentiate between laws and ethics. Offers students an opportunity to use a
substantial variety of existing software tools to probe both computer systems
and networks in order to learn how these systems function, how data moves
within these systems, and how these systems might be vulnerable. Covers
security methods, controls, procedures, economics of cybercrime, criminal
procedure, and forensics.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CS 2500](/search/?P=CS%202500 "CS 2500") with a minimum
grade of D- or [DS 2000](/search/?P=DS%202000 "DS 2000") with a minimum grade
of D-
**CY 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)**
Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May
be repeated without limit.
**CY 2991. Research in Cybersecurity. (1-4 Hours)**
Offers an opportunity to conduct introductory-level research or creative
endeavors under faculty supervision. May be repeated three times.
**CY 3740. Systems Security. (4 Hours)**
Introduces the fundamental principles of designing and implementing secure
programs and systems. Presents and analyzes prevalent classes of attacks
against systems. Discusses techniques for identifying the presence of
vulnerabilities in system design and implementation, preventing the
introduction of or successful completion of attacks, limiting the damage
incurred by attacks, and strategies for recovering from system compromises.
Offers opportunities for hands-on practice of real-world attack and defense in
several domains, including systems administration, the Web, and mobile
devices. Presents the ethical considerations of security research and
practice.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CS 3650](/search/?P=CS%203650 "CS 3650") with a minimum
grade of D-
**CY 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)**
Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May
be repeated without limit.
**CY 4170. The Law, Ethics, and Policy of Data and Digital Technologies. (4
Hours)**
Describes the legal and ethical issues associated with collection, use,
disclosure, and protection of digital information. Emphasizes legal
infrastructure relating to privacy, data ethics, data security, hacking,
automation, and intellectual property. Articulates the basic set of rules and
rights that are relevant to data practices and protection, evaluates how these
rules apply in context, and critically analyzes their efficacy and social
impact.
**Attribute(s):** NUpath Ethical Reasoning, NUpath Writing Intensive
**CY 4740. Network Security. (4 Hours)**
Studies topics related to Internet architecture and cryptographic schemes in
the context of security. Provides advanced coverage of the major Internet
protocols including IP and DNS. Examines denial of service, viruses, and
worms, and discusses techniques for protection. Covers cryptographic paradigms
and algorithms such as RSA and Diffie-Hellman in sufficient mathematical
detail. The advanced topics address the design and implementation of
authentication protocols and existing standardized security protocols.
Explores the security of commonly used applications like the Web and e-mail.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CS 3700](/search/?P=CS%203700 "CS 3700") with a minimum
grade of D- or [CS 4700](/search/?P=CS%204700 "CS 4700") with a minimum grade
of D- or [CS 4730](/search/?P=CS%204730 "CS 4730") with a minimum grade of D-
or [CS 5700](/search/?P=CS%205700 "CS 5700") with a minimum grade of C-
**CY 4760. Security of Wireless and Mobile Systems. (4 Hours)**
Presents the foundations to understand security and privacy threats as well as
defenses in wireless and mobile systems, especially in the era of
softwarization of wireless networks. Studies the proliferation of wireless
systems within a wide variety of contexts such as telephony, navigation,
sensor networks, and critical infrastructures. Examines the security
challenges inherent in the broadcast nature of wireless technologies and the
increased availability of software-defined radios. Offers students an
opportunity to obtain experience in describing and classifying security goals
and attacks in modern wireless networks, to identify the unique security
implications of these effects, and how to mitigate security issues associated
with them.
**CY 4770. Cryptography. (4 Hours)**
Studies the design of cryptographic schemes that enable secure communication
and computation. Emphasizes cryptography as a mathematically rigorous
discipline with precise definitions, theorems, and proofs and highlights deep
connections to information theory, computational complexity, and number
theory. Topics include pseudorandomness; symmetric-key cryptosystems and block
ciphers such as AES; hash functions; public-key cryptosystems, including ones
based on factoring and discrete logarithms; signature schemes; secure
multiparty computation and applications such as auctions and voting; and zero-
knowledge proofs.
**Prerequisite(s):**([CS 3000](/search/?P=CS%203000 "CS 3000") with a minimum
grade of D- ; [CS 3800](/search/?P=CS%203800 "CS 3800") with a minimum grade
of D- ) or CS 4800 with a minimum grade of D-
**Attribute(s):** NUpath Formal/Quant Reasoning
**CY 4930. Cybersecurity Capstone. (4 Hours)**
Provides the culmination of the learned principles and methodologies for
identifying and addressing cybersecurity issues in organizations. Offers
students an opportunity to work in small groups to identify and scope a
current cybersecurity problem/challenge. Requires students to submit a written
proposal about the project, complete with motivation, literature research, and
reasons for the study; create a work plan to develop a solution to include the
development and identification of the data necessary to properly solve the
problem/challenge; and create a final report.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 3740](/search/?P=CY%203740 "CY 3740") with a minimum
grade of D- or [CY 4740](/search/?P=CY%204740 "CY 4740") with a minimum grade
of D-
**Attribute(s):** NUpath Capstone Experience, NUpath Writing Intensive
**CY 4970. Junior/Senior Honors Project 1. (4 Hours)**
Focuses on in-depth project in which a student conducts research or produces a
product related to the student’s major field. Combined with Junior/Senior
Project 2 or college-defined equivalent for 8 credit honors in the discipline
project.
**CY 4971. Junior/Senior Honors Project 2. (4 Hours)**
Focuses on second semester of in-depth project in which a student conducts
research or produces a product related to the student’s major field.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 4970](/search/?P=CY%204970 "CY 4970") with a minimum
grade of D-
**CY 4973. Topics in Cybersecurity. (4 Hours)**
Offers a lecture course in cybersecurity on a topic not regularly taught in a
formal course. Topics may vary from offering to offering. May be repeated up
to three times.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CS 3000](/search/?P=CS%203000 "CS 3000") with a minimum
grade of D- ; ([CS 3500](/search/?P=CS%203500 "CS 3500") with a minimum grade
of D- or [DS 3500](/search/?P=DS%203500 "DS 3500") with a minimum grade of D-
)
**CY 5001. Cybersecurity: Technologies, Threats, and Defenses. (4 Hours)**
Seeks to provide a systematic understanding of cyberspace technology and
applications deployed in the global digital infrastructure. Covers topics in
computer networks, server architectures, operating systems, and scripting. All
the techniques and tools included in the course are oriented to serve as
instruments of security administrators and cybersecurity professionals. Uses
practical hands-on labs running on virtual machines and containers hosted in
the cloud computing environment to train students. For that reason, a
practical overview of virtualization technologies, containerization, and cloud
computing models is provided.
**CY 5003. Foundations of Software Security. (4 Hours)**
Provides an overview of various software security threats and some of the most
effective countermeasures used to thwart both well-known and newly emerging
software security threats. Introduces best practices and tools available to
help minimize common software security attacks, recognizing that it is
impossible to accomplish “perfect security” in software. Also studies secure
coding concepts, tools, and practices in a high-level programming language.
**CY 5010. Cybersecurity Principles and Practices. (4 Hours)**
Introduces information security via concepts of confidentiality, integrity,
and availability. Discusses ethical, legal, and privacy ramifications while
reviewing various laws, such as the Patriot Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act,
and the General Data Protection Regulation. Covers security methods, controls,
procedures, economics of cybercrime, criminal procedure, and forensics.
**CY 5061. Cloud Security. (2 Hours)**
Introduces the fundamentals of cloud computing while segueing into
understanding its various security challenges, threat models, and data privacy
issues in regard to compliance and legal decisions. Examines the strategies to
implement security controls, perform risk assessments, handle incident
detection and response, while emphasizing maintaining a business-minded
security life cycle for cloud-based environments.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 5001](/search/?P=CY%205001 "CY 5001") with a minimum
grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a minimum grade
of C-
**CY 5065. Cloud Security Practices. (4 Hours)**
Introduces the fundamentals of cloud computing. Examines the strategies to
implement security controls, perform risk assessments, and handle incident
detection and response. Emphasizes maintenance of a business-minded security
life cycle for cloud-based environments. Offers students an opportunity to
obtain an understanding of various security challenges, threat models, and
data privacy issues in regard to compliance and legal implications.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a minimum
grade of C-
**CY 5120. Applied Cryptography. (4 Hours)**
Surveys the principles and the practices of cryptography. Overviews the core
cryptographic algorithms: symmetric encryption schemes (e.g., DES and AES);
public key cryptosystems (e.g., RSA and discrete logarithm); and hash
functions (e.g., the SHA family). Discusses core information assurance
building blocks, such as authentication, digital signatures, key management,
and digital certificates. Finally, applies these concepts to important
security architectures, including the IP network stack (e.g., IPsec and
SSL/TLS), the cellular system, and broadcast media.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 5001](/search/?P=CY%205001 "CY 5001") with a minimum
grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a minimum grade
of C-
**CY 5130. Computer System Security. (4 Hours)**
Offers a practical overview of enterprise computer security, operating systems
security, and related topics. Applies concepts such as authentication, access
control, integrity, and audit to the modern operating system. Discusses and
demonstrates system, process, memory, and file system-level defenses—and the
attacks against them. Also discusses topics in data security and
virtualization. Uses hands-on labs to reinforce skills and provide practical
experience.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 5001](/search/?P=CY%205001 "CY 5001") with a minimum
grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a minimum grade
of C-
**CY 5150. Network Security Practices. (4 Hours)**
Explores issues involved in the security of computer networks. Topics include
firewalls, viruses, virtual private networks, Internet security, and wireless
security. Includes case studies and laboratory exercises.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 5001](/search/?P=CY%205001 "CY 5001") with a minimum
grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a minimum grade
of C-
**CY 5200. Security Risk Management and Assessment. (4 Hours)**
Creates the opportunity for competency in the development of information
security policies and plans including controls for physical, software, and
networks. Discusses different malicious attacks, such as viruses and Trojan
horses, detection strategies, countermeasures, damage assessment, and control.
Covers information system risk analysis and management, audits, and log files.
Uses case studies, site visits, and works with commercial products.
**Prerequisite(s):** CS 2550 with a minimum grade of D- or [CY
2550](/search/?P=CY%202550 "CY 2550") with a minimum grade of D- or IA 5010
with a minimum grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a
minimum grade of C- or graduate program admission
**CY 5210. Information System Forensics. (4 Hours)**
Designed to allow students to explore the techniques used in computer forensic
examinations. Examines computer hardware, physical and logical disk structure,
and computer forensic techniques. Conducts hands-on experiences on DOS,
Windows operating systems, Macintosh, Novell, and Unix/Linux platforms. Builds
on basic computer skills and affords hands-on experience with the tools and
techniques to investigate, seize, and analyze computer-based evidence using a
variety of specialized forensic software in an IBM-PC environment.
**Prerequisite(s):** CS 2550 with a minimum grade of D- or [CY
2550](/search/?P=CY%202550 "CY 2550") with a minimum grade of D- or IA 5010
with a minimum grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a
minimum grade of C- or graduate program admission
**CY 5240. Cyberlaw: Privacy, Ethics, and Digital Rights. (4 Hours)**
Describes the legal and ethical issues associated with information security
including access, use, and dissemination. Emphasizes legal infrastructure
relating to information assurance, such as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act
and Telecommunications Decency Act, and emerging technologies for management
of digital rights. Examines the role of information security in various
domains such as healthcare, scientific research, and personal communications
such as email. Examines criminal activities such as computer fraud and abuse,
desktop forgery, embezzlement, child pornography, computer trespass, and
computer piracy.
**Prerequisite(s):** CS 2550 with a minimum grade of D- or [CY
2550](/search/?P=CY%202550 "CY 2550") with a minimum grade of D- or IA 5010
with a minimum grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a
minimum grade of C- or graduate program admission
**Attribute(s):** NUpath Ethical Reasoning, NUpath Writing Intensive
**CY 5250. Decision Making for Critical Infrastructure. (4 Hours)**
Focuses on the art and science of security program management leadership in
the context of critical infrastructure protection programs. Includes selected
readings, review of decision-making models in crisis, lectures and insights
from accomplished leaders in infrastructure protection, and examination of the
students’ own unique background and experiences. Trains students on the
interaction of vulnerabilities, threats, and countermeasures and how to apply
this knowledge to the protection of critical infrastructure using research and
analysis of national and global strategies, historical and current
legislation, and policies. Also seeks to give students a working knowledge of
federal, state, and private-sector critical infrastructure protection
resources and programs.
**CY 5770. Software Vulnerabilities and Security. (4 Hours)**
Seeks to help students to become aware of systems security issues and to gain
a basic understanding of security. Presents the principal software and
applications used in the Internet, discussing in detail the related
vulnerabilities and how they are exploited. Also discusses programming
vulnerabilities and how they are exploited. Examines protection and detection
techniques. Includes a number of practical lab assignments as well as a
discussion of current research in the field.
**Prerequisite(s):**[CY 5001](/search/?P=CY%205001 "CY 5001") with a minimum
grade of C- or [CY 5010](/search/?P=CY%205010 "CY 5010") with a minimum grade
of C-
**CY 5976. Directed Study. (1-4 Hours)**
Seeks to provide cybersecurity (CY) students with the training experience of
working on a specific IA project under the direction of an CY instructor. The
instructor provides students with a plan of seminar sessions, including
lectures, research, and development of project deliverables and with direction
to complete the course. May be repeated without limit.
**CY 5984. Research. (2-4 Hours)**
Offers an opportunity to conduct research under faculty supervision. May be
repeated without limit.