Overview

This course introduces the basic principles of attacking and defending computer networks. On the attack side, it covers system intrusions, denial of service attacks, viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. On the defense side, it covers security policies and objectives, access control, authentication, firewalls, intrusion detection, cryptography, security management, and incident response. Basic networking concepts, including TCP/IP, are also covered. No background in computer science or networking is required. The course includes some hands-on work with hacking and security technologies. Prerequisites: None.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students should:

• Understand the different tools used for computer network attacks (CNAs), computer network exploitations (CNEs), and computer network defenses (CNDs).
• Understand how the four major adversaries of the United States, as well as violent extremist groups, have used CNAs, CNEs, and CNDs in the past in order to think critically about how US policy should be utilized in the future.
• Understand how cyber operations are used militarily at the operational and tactical levels.
• Understand how the cyber domain is utilized for operations in the information environment.