Information Assurance (IA) encompasses the scientific, technical, and management disciplines required to ensure computer and network security. Information assurance deals with operations that protect and defend information and information systems by ensuring their availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation, including operations for the restoration of information systems by incorporating protection, detection, and reaction capabilities. Importantly, information assurance includes and emphasizes availability, detection, and reaction, and not just confidentiality and authentication. Information assurance includes system and network administration and operations, systems security engineering, information assurance systems and product acquisition, cryptography, threat and vulnerability assessment, risk management, web security, operation of emergency response teams, information assurance training, education, and management, computer forensics, and defensive information operations.
ObjectivesThis course has three main objectives:
- To introduce students to a broad range of research topics in information assurance, including topics that involve the triad of people, policies and procedures, and technology.
- To enable students to understand the need for information assurance, identify security vulnerabilities, and devise security solutions that meaningfully raise the level of confidence in computer systems.
- To help students learn how to read and present research papers, and to carry out new and significant research projects of their own.