INSS 635 SECURITIES CONTROL AND AUDIT INFORMATION

COURSE OUTLINE

Lecturer: Joyce M. Rowe, Ph.D.                                    Office Hours:  1/2 hr. after class; 
Phone: TBA                                                                               by appointment 
e-mail: jrowe@faculty.ed.umuc.edu                              Course Credit: 3 semester hours
 

Pre-requisite: INSS 510, INSS 520 or INSS 530 or permission of the lecturer 

TEXTBOOK:  Secrets and Lies:  Digital Security in a Networked World by Bruce Schneier; Wiley Publishing, 2000. 

HANDOUTS: Will be distributed from time-to-time; you will be responsible for this material 

GRADING CRITERIA:

ASSIGNMENTS

*  ACADEMIC HONESTY: Students are expected to do their own work. Cheating on tests, plagiarism on written assignments, or any other form of academic dishonesty will result in a "0" for the assignment. Note that a D or an F usually results in at least 60 or 50 points, where violation of academic honesty results in none. See the European Division Catalog for the UMUC policy on academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

*  ASSIGNMENT/TEST SCHEDULES: Students are expected to hand in all assignments and complete all tests on the days they are due. If a student fails to complete any assignment or test, the resulting grade will be a "0," rather than an "F." Any other assignments will be marked down half a letter grade for each half week the assignment is late. Quizzes cannot be made-up unless the student had an excused absence. Major tests to be missed must be taken before the date the test is to be given in class. On the date of research presentations or project presentations, each person must be in attendance for the first presentation. Otherwise, the presentation will be deemed late and a 10% reduction will be made for all presentations given that the student missed.

* CLASS PREPARATION: Students are expected to come to class prepared. This means they should have read the materials assigned for class for that session and have prepared any pertinent assignments. Quizzes may be given.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Identify vulnerabilities of IS systems, especially on the network
• Realize importance of securing IS systems, since they are resource assets of the organization 
• Understand basic techniques of data encryption 
• Understand the need for and application of firewalls
• Identify components for physical security
• Design and develop a Risk Analysis 
• Identify security concerns of information warfare

1. Critical Thinking: Students should improve their ability to analyze computer user situations and make appropriate suggestions for resolving security issues of computer systems.  The  projects in this class encourage students to think critically about real-world situations. 
2. Writing Skills: Students should improve writing skills through development of the Research Project and formal report on the major project and on the mid-term and final. 
3. Oral Presentation Skills: Students should improve their presentation skills through their oral reports on the major project, class discussions, and group presentations.
4. Computer Skills: Students are expected to improve their computer skills by using word processing and security software.  The use of  Internet and e-mail are also encouraged.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

July 3