14-829 / 18-638: Mobile and IoT Security - Fall 2018

Logistics:

Class Meetings:

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:00-10:20am PT (12:00-1:20pm ET)

B23 118 in SV, INI DEC in Pgh

Course Description:

For many people, mobile and embedded devices have become an essential part of life and work. As such devices represent many and varied combinations of technologies, they have unique security and privacy issues that potentially impact users, developers, service providers, manufacturers, and regulators. This course will focus on various aspects of security and privacy that are faced by mobile and Internet of Things devices, including aspects of wireless communication and networking, mobile computing, data analytics, security, and privacy. The course will include studies of security and privacy aspects of networking (including telecom, enterprise, personal, etc.), applications, and data analytics as relevant to mobile and embedded/IoT devices. One of the main goals of the course is to improve knowledge and awareness of security issues faced by mobile application developers, embedded system builders, and smart system designers. Material will cover standards, best practices, and research challenges in both deployed and emerging systems. Topics of study include (but are not limited to) telecom protocols and vulnerabilities; mobile/IoT network security; security and privacy in edge computing; mobile application security; and location and activity privacy. In addition to individual homework assignments, students will participate in an intensive group project involving significant research, development, and experimentation. Graduate standing is required to register for this course.

Evaluation & Grading:

Students will be individually evaluated on all course deliverables. Contributions to the final grade will be 30% for individual assignments; 25% for group presentations; 25% for written reports; and 20% for the exam.

Prerequisites:

Graduate standing and (18631 or 18730 or 14741) and (14740 or 18756 or 15641).

Contact the instructor directly with questions about prerequisites.

Reading Material & Textbooks:

Textbooks will not be explicitly used; course material will be based primarily on research papers. Students are expected to read the assigned research papers (reading material may show up on assignments and exam), but reading reviews are not required. For students who are not familiar with relevant background, the instructor will suggest textbooks as needed.

Course Deliverables:

Students will participate in a significant group project in addition to individual homework assignments and an exam. All submissions are to be made through Canvas. Email submissions will not be accepted.

Project:

Teams of students will work on a collaborative project for the duration of the semester. Students are responsible for forming their own teams based on common interests and/or complementary skills. Through the semester, teams will prepare multiple project presentations and written reports as follow.

• Project Pitch: Due September 18
• Statement of Work: Due October 2
• Project Updates: Due October 16, October 30, and November 13
• Final Report: Due December 11 (in-class presentations earlier)
• Peer Evaluations: Various deadlines

These deliverables are also briefly summarized on the Project Info page.

Exam:

An in-class exam will take place on November 20. Please contact the instructor as soon as possible if special arrangements or accommodations are needed.

Assignments:

Assignments must be done individually. Discussion is encouraged, but each student must submit their own work.

• Assignment #1: Due September 13
• Assignment #2: Due October 9
• Assignment #3: Due October 25
• Assignment #4: Due November 8

Daily Schedule and Reading Material:

Students should consult the daily schedule for relevant reading materials and a complete list of the topics covered, important dates, and events. Note that this daily schedule is tentative and can change at any time.

Policies, Ethics, etc.:

Students taking the Mobile Security course are expected to follow various academic policies set forth by the departments, colleges, and university, as well as additional policies specific to this course. Please see this course's policy overview page for more details.