CSEC-743 Computer Viruses and Malicious Software
Syllabus, Fall 2014
Bo Yuan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Computing Security

Contacts

You may email me at anytime: bo.yuan@rit.edu. If you do not receive a respond from me within 48 hours, you should safely assume that the email didnot reach me. You should send another one to me. If you prefer a conversation, my office phone number is 585-745-4468, or email me a phone number that I can reach you.

Class time and location:

Fall Semester	Class	Time	Location
8/2514 - 12/11/14	CSEC-743	TuTh 3:30PM - 4:45PM	GOL-1455
8/2514 - 12/11/14	Office Hours	TuTh 2:30PM - 3:30PM	GOL-2124

Suggested Text and Materials

• The Art of Computer Virus Research and Defense by Peter Szor, Addison-Wesley, New York, 2005
• Reversing: Secrets of Reverse Engineering by Eldad Eilam, Wiley, Indianapolis, Indiana, 2005

Course Objectives

This course will provide students in depth knowledge about computer viruses and malicious software and enable students to protect computer systems in both private and cooperative environments. Students will study techniques and tools to analyze malware specimens to identify its functionalities and behaviors.

Learning Outcomes

• Distinguish different types of computer malware such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, etc.
• Compare types of anti-virus techniques
• Explain malware structures
• Explain malware propagation methods
• Explain file infection techniques
• Explain various vulnerabilities and exploits
• Explain different types of buffer overflow
• Write a virus scanner
• Demonstrate knowledge of current state of malware defense and offense

Course Schedule

This is a tentative schedule subject to change.

Week	Topics/Exams	Assigned Reading	Activities
1	Malware: Introduction	B1: Chapter 1 and 2
2	Reversing: Introduction	B2: Chapter 1 and 2	Lab 1 is assigned
3	Malware Environment	B1: Chapter 3	Lab 1 due, Lab 2 and Project 1 assigned
4-5	Malware Analysis and Reversing Tools	B1: Chapter 15, B2: Chapter 4	Lab 2 due, Lab 3 assigned
6-7	Malware Classifications	B1: Chapter 4, 5 and 8	Midterm exam, Project 1 due, Project 2 assigned
8-9	Malware Self-Protections	B1: Chapter 6 and 7	Lab 3 due and Lab 4 assigned
10-11	Malware Delivery Techniques	B1: Chapter 9
12-13	Exploits, Vulnerabilities and attacks	B1: Chapters 10	Lab 4 due, Lab 5 assigned
14	Antivirus Defense Techniques	B1: Chapter 11, 12 and 13	Lab 5 due, Project 2 due
15	Network-Level Defense	B1: Chapter 14
16			Final exam

Note that B1 stands for the first required book by Peter Szor and B2 stands for the second required book by Eldad Eilam.

Grading

The following is a standard the letter grade schema we will use in this class. Notice that as a graduate student, you need to have overall grade average above B to be certified for graduation.

Total Point $x$	Letter Grade
$97 \leq x$	A+
$93 \leq x < 97$	A
$90 \leq x < 93$	A-
$87 \leq x < 90$	B+
$83 \leq x < 87$	B
$80 \leq x < 83$	B-
$77 \leq x < 80$	C+
$73 \leq x < 77$	C
$70 \leq x < 73$	C-
$60 \leq x < 70$	D
$x < 60$	F

The following is a total point break down:

Grading Components	Points
Lab Assignments	50
Midterm and Final Exams	30
Project and Report	20
Bonus	10
Total:	110

Notes

Cheating Policy: Please review the RIT Student Academic Integrity policy on cheating as described at here.

Finally...
Any or all of the previous information on this web page is subject to change or modification during the semester.