EECE655 INTERNET SECURITY

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
COURSE SYLLABUS
FALL 2022

COURSE TITLE: Internet Security

INSTRUCTOR: Imad H. Elhajj

OFFICE HOURS:
After class or by appointment
Mobile: 70184884, Email: imad.elhajj@aub.edu.lb

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
The course covers topics in Internet security. The course discusses security threats, vulnerabilities of
protocols and the different types of attacks. Preventive and defensive mechanisms are covered; such as:
email security, web security, IP security, network management security, wireless security, intrusion detection
techniques, firewalls, VPNs and tracing the source of attacks. Student projects will be composed of
implementation, simulation and research components.

PREREQUISITES:
By course: EECE 350 or EECE 351
Recommended: EECE632
By topic: Internet protocols (IP, TCP, UDP, ARP, DNS, DHCP), internet routing, basic knowledge of socket
programming, cryptography and computer security.

MATERIAL ON RESERVE AND ONLINE:

Papers and electronic material will be posted on Moodle

TOPICS COVERED:
▪ Introduction: Internet security threats, economic impact and terminology
▪ Vulnerabilities of Internet protocols: ARP, IP, TCP, DNS and routing
▪ Attacks: ARP cache poisoning, Packet sniffing, IP Spoofing, IP fragmentation attacks, ICMP attacks,
TCP session hijacking, SYN flooding attack, Denial of service attacks, IP Routing attacks, DNS attacks,
Port scanning, Cookie poisoning, Buffer overflow and SQL injection.
▪ Finding and fixing some of the vulnerabilities
▪ Security Protocols: PGP, S/MIME, SSL, IPsec, and SNMP
▪ Security Prevention and Detection: Firewalls, VPNs and intrusion detection systems
▪ Attack source tracing and digital forensics

LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of the course, students will be able to:
▪ Assess Internet security threats
▪ Estimate and assess the economic impact of network attacks
▪ Describe the vulnerabilities in internetworking protocols
▪ Describe the different Internet attacks
▪ Find and identify potential vulnerabilities in internets
▪ Describe how to resolve identified vulnerabilities
▪ Describe the use of cryptography in Internet security
▪ Describe the different security protocols used in email, web and other Internet applications
▪ Describe tools used for the prevention and detection of Internet attacks
▪ Trace the source of some types of Internet attacks
▪ Conduct, document and present a literature review on a topic related to Internet security
▪ Analyze and secure an internetworked system

Imad H. Elhajj Page 1

American University of Beirut EECE655 Syllabus
ASSIGNMENTS & PROJECT:
▪ There will be 2 assignments during the semester. These assignments will be hands on and are well defined
with detailed specifications and requirements.
▪ An open-ended research project will be assigned. The specific topic of this project is of your choice. You
will be required to conduct a literature review, carry out simulations, implementations or testing, and
present your findings.

ASSESSMENT: The final grade will be based on the following weights:

Assignments 40%
Project 40%
Final 20%

GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS:

▪ All graded work should be based on individual effort with NO external help, unless otherwise indicated.
If in doubt, ask ahead of time. Any suspected misconduct will be handled according to the American
University of Beirut rules and regulations. Consult the AUB’s website for the details of these policies.
▪ Any deliverables submitted are subject to scrutiny using Turnitin.com or other tools.
▪ Every class is considered as an appointment so please be on time.
▪ Late material is not accepted.
▪ Keep checking the class Moodle for information and updates.

NON-DISCRIMINATION AND ANTI-DISCRIMINATORY HARASSMENT, INCLUDING SEXUAL HARASSMENT

AT AUB:
▪ In line with its commitment to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment,
AUB policies protect you from discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics, including
discriminatory harassment and sexual harassment. Protected characteristics include: race, color,
religion, age, national or ethnic identity, sex, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation,
pregnancy, marital status, disability, genetic predisposition or carrier status, alienage or citizenship
status, and political affiliation.
▪ The policies are applicable to all the AUB Community including: officers, faculty, staff, academic
appointees, students (including medical interns and residents), visiting students, alumni, trainees,
visitors, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, located on campus and at AUB Medical Center,
Advancing Research Enabling Communities Center (AREC), or any other facility or program
affiliated with the University. The “AUB community” also includes the dependents and domestic
employees of faculty and staff dwelling on campus and at AREC.
▪ If you think you have experienced discrimination, discriminatory harassment, or sexual harassment,
we encourage you to inform the Equity/Title IX Coordinator, Mitra Tauk at 01-350000 ext. 2514,
titleix@aub.edu.lb, report to a Title IX deputy at your faculty or at any other faculty
(www.aub.edu.lb/titleix), or report online (www.aub.ethicspoint.com). Reports may be submitted
anonymously or not. Please know that the University will maintain the confidentiality of the
complaint and privacy of the persons involved to the greatest extent possible, consistent with its
goal of conducting a thorough and complete investigation and to the extent permitted by law.
▪ You need to also know that the University has designated academic and administrative department/unit
heads, managerial level staff, academic advisors, protection officers, and residence hall staff/monitors, as
responsible employees or “mandatory reporters”, and may designate others at its discretion. These
individuals are obligated to report actual or suspected discrimination or discriminatory harassing conduct
to the Equity/Title IX Coordinator, unless they are a “confidential” resource. The following have been
designated as confidential resources: on campus counselors in the Counseling Center of the Office of
Student Affairs and AUB Medical Center counselors, and healthcare providers at the University Health
Services (UHS) and at the AUB Medical Center. Confidential resources are not required to report actual
or suspected discrimination or harassment to appropriate university officials, except in cases of suspected
abuse of a minor, in the event of an external investigation or prosecution, or in the event of imminent
danger to the reporting party or others.
GOOD LUCK!

Imad H. Elhajj Page 2

American University of Beirut EECE655 Syllabus