Course Catalog Description: This course introduces students to how hackers attack computers and networks and how to protect against these attacks. This is a hands-on learning course where students will be exposed to and perform many of the various types of attacks in order to understand how to defend against them. Legal implications and ethical issues will also be addressed.

Required Text:

  •  Engegretson, P. (2013). The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing (Second ed.). Waltham, MA: Elsevier Inc.
  • Clark, B. (2013). RTFM: Red Team Field Manual (v 1.0). Lexington, KY: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Optional Resources:

  • Simpson, M. T., Backman, K., & Corley, J. E. (2011). Hands-on Ethical Hacking and Network Defense (Second ed.). Boston, MA: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.
  • Skoudis, E., & Liston, T. (2006). Counter Hack Reloaded (Second ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Prerequisites: ICS 184 or ITS 142

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Describe the fundamental concepts, technologies, components, and issues related to communications and data networks (ILO 4; BASLO 2; ISALO 1).
  2. Describe a basic network architecture given a specific need and set of host/clients (ILO 3; BASLO 2; ISALO 1).
  3. Track and identify the packets involved in a simple TCP connection using tools such as Wireshark (ILO 4; BASLO 3; ISALO 1).
  4. Use network-mapping tools such as nmap (ILO 4; BASLO 3; ISALO 2).
  5. Describe potential system attacks and the actors that might perform them (ILO 1; BASLO 3; ISALO 3).
  6. Describe cyber defense tools, methods, and components (ILO 1; BASLO 2; ISALO 2).
  7. Apply cyber defense methods to prepare a system to repel attacks (ILO 3; BASLO 3; ISALO 3).
  8. Describe appropriate measures to be taken should a system compromise occur (ILO 1; BASLO 2; ISALO 3).