Grader & Mentor in CS 642

Introduction to Computer Security, UW-Madison

What is this course?

This course is an advanced, senior-level offering for undergraduate students and an introductory course for graduate students. It covers a wide range of topics including operating systems security, low-level software security, network security, cryptography, and the web security.

My Role as a Grader & Mentor in this Course

  1. Conducted office hours to assist students with queries pertaining to the lectures and projects.
  2. Collaborated with other TAs to do grading and Q&A for assignment projects.
  3. Provided support to the professor by collecting and grading exams.
  4. Engaged in active discussions and resolved queries on Piazza.
  1. Teaching
  2. Understanding of concepts in Computer Security
  3. Collaboration, Communication

My Reflections

This course provides a comprehensive study of various topics in computer security, complemented by intriguing hands-on projects focused on attack strategies and their mitigation. The project I found particularly engaging was the one involving stack, integer, and heap overflow attacks. Besides, the comprehensive examinations in this course can be quite challenging and thought-provoking. It is one of the most challenging courses I have taken in UW-Madison.

Why should you consider this course?

I highly recommend this course for those curious about password security, protection of information across networks, and understanding potential threats by adopting an attacker’s perspective. This course serves as an excellent foundation for anyone planning to delve into security research in the future.

What about the workload?

This course encompasses hands-on projects that involve identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in C programs and web applications. Techniques explored include Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), cracking passwords encrypted through insecure pipelines, extracting information from traceroute files, and executing SQL injections. An intriguing project, emulating real-life scenarios, focuses on a cascading compromise of an Internet of Things (IoT) device.