Introduction to Computer Security Spring 2026

This course introduces the principles and practices of computer security as applied to software, host systems, and networks. It covers the foundations of building, using, and managing secure systems, standard cryptographic functions and protocols, and threats and defenses for real-world systems. See the schedule for details.

Course staff

Luyi Xing (instructor)
Adam Bates (instructor)
Yichen Liu, yichen59@illinois.edu (teaching assistant)
Xinyi Wei, xwei16@illinois.edu (teaching assistant)
Dylen, dgree21@illinois.edu (teaching assistant)

Prerequisites

Credit in CS 341 or ECE 391 or both CS 233 and CS 340

Lectures

Tue./Thu.: 12:30pm - 1:45pm, 1404 Siebel Center for Comp Sci

Discussion Sections

Wed. 1 - 1:50 pm, 2406 Siebel Center for Comp Sci
Wed. 2 - 2:50 pm, 2406 Siebel Center for Comp Sci
Wed. 3 - 3:50 pm, 2406 Siebel Center for Comp Sci
Wed. 4 - 4:50 pm, 2406 Siebel Center for Comp Sci

Office Hours

Thu. 3:30 - 4 pm with Prof. Luyi Xing in 4336 Siebel Center for Comp Sci （or by appointment, students enrolled in in-person class only）
Monday 9:30 - 11:30, Tuesday 3 - 5, Wednesday 4 - 7 in Siebel 0th floor with TAs and CAs.

Communications

We will make use of the following communication methods during this course:

Course Schedule: schedule page on Canvas
Slides and Handouts: Canvas
Weekly Quizzes: Canvas
Programming Projects: assignments page of this website
Discussion Forum: Piazza from Canvas
Announcements Platform: Canvas

For administrative issues, email ece422-staff@illinois.edu to contact the course staff.

Reference Books

No textbook is required, but if you would like additional references, we recommend:

Security Engineering by Ross Anderson
Cryptography Engineering by Ferguson, Schneier, and Kohno
Introduction to Computer Security by Matt Bishop
Computer Security: Principles and Practice by William Stallings
Computer Security: Art and Science by Matt Bishop
Security in Computing by Charles P. Pfleeger
Introduction to Computer Security by Michael Goodrich and Roberto Tamassia

Grading

Programming Projects	40%	Four programming projects
Quizzes	10%	Weekly assignments to check that you followed the week's lectures
Midterm Exam (in class)	20%	One exam covering material in the first half of class
Final Exam	30%	One exam covering all material from the course

Ethics and Law

This course will include topics related computer security and privacy. As part of this investigation we may cover technologies whose abuse could infringe on the rights of others. As computer scientists, we rely on the ethical use of these technologies. Unethical use includes circumvention of an existing security or privacy mechanisms for any purpose, or the dissemination, promotion, or exploitation of vulnerabilities of these services. Any activity outside the letter or spirit of these guidelines will be reported to the proper authorities and may result in severe academic and legal sanctions.

Acting lawfully and ethically is your responsibility. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) broadly criminalizes computer intrusion. Understand what the law prohibits — you don’t want to end up like this guy. If in doubt, we can refer you to an attorney.

Academic Integrity

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Student Code should also be considered as a part of this syllabus. Students should pay particular attention to Article 1, Part 4: Academic Integrity. Read the Code at the following URL: http://studentcode.illinois.edu/.

Academic dishonesty will be reported to the provost's office and may result in a failing grade. Every student is expected to review and abide by the Academic Integrity Policy: http://studentcode.illinois.edu/. Ignorance is not an excuse for any academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to read this policy to avoid any misunderstanding. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor(s) if you are ever in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or any other breach of academic integrity.