Computer Security (CIS-3240) Home Page
This is the home page for Peter Chapin's Computer Security course notes for the Fall 2025
semester. Here you will find electronic versions of class handouts, homework assignments,
lecture slides, and links to other references of interest. If you are a student taking Computer
Security, you should bookmark this page.
Lectures will be via Zoom.
- The course syllabus gives an overview of the course and
its content, lists course resources, and describes the grading policy and related issues.
- The texts are in a curated
playlist in the O'Reilly Collection. Use your VSC credentials to access it.
- The homework submission area and grade book are on Canvas. All other course resources are
here.
- My page on GPG is a short overview of the basics of GPG.
- I've prepared some general information on submitting
assignments.
- My home page contains other resources of potential interest.
Lecture Topics
The lectures for this course will be taught via Zoom.
- 2025-08-25.
Introduction to the course and overview of some basic concepts in computer security.
- 2025-08-27.
Discussed general concepts of symmetric encryption. Demonstrated the hexdump and count
utilities and the substitution cipher program.
- 2025-09-01. No class (vacation).
- 2025-09-03.
Demonstrated the hexdump and count utilities and the substitution cipher program. Introduced
Feistel ciphers and DES.
- 2025-09-08.
Discussed the AES. Introduced the
One-Time Pad.
- 2025-09-10.
Discussed the "three gnomes." Introduced block cipher modes. Discussed ECB mode, CBC mode,
CFB, and CTR mode.
- 2025-09-15.
Discussed cryptographic hash functions.
- 2025-09-17.
Introduced public key cryptography.
- 2025-09-22.
Continued discussion of public key cryptography. Discussed certificate chains. Demonstrated GPG.
- 2025-09-24.
Discussed random number generation.
- 2025-09-29. Introduced security protocols via the timestamp
protocol.
Slides
Homework
- Homework #1 Basic Security Concepts (DocBook source). Due: 2025-09-05
- Homework #2 Block Ciphers (DocBook
source). Due: 2025-09-19
- Homework #3 Hashes and Public Key Cryptography (DocBook source). Due: 2025-10-17
Resources/Articles
General References and Utilities
Cryptography
Last Revised: 2025-09-29
© Copyright 2025 by Peter Chapin <peter.chapin@vermontstate.edu>