This course covers a very large discipline, and--perhaps more so than many other areas of computer science--the discipline of computer security runs through many other areas. Because the class has a very limited amount of time, we will only touch the surface of many topics. The project is to give you an opportunity to explore one of these topics, or some other area or application of computer security that interests you, in some depth.
The project can be a detailed research paper or survey, or a programming project that focuses on validating or working with some formalism. In any case, check with me before beginning to be sure it is a reasonable project and no-one else has chosen it. Please select something that interests you!
You may work individually, or in groups of up to 3 people (if you want to have more than 3, please come see me). Of course, the larger the group, the more I will expect from it!
Below are some suggestions for projects. If you pick one of these, you will need to refine it or limit the scope of your project. You may also think of a project on your own.
Please submit the following on the dates indicated:
Project selection: due on Friday, January 12; 10% of project score.
Submit a brief (2 paragraph) description of your project. This should be the thesis, or goal, of your paper or programming project. Remember, even if you do a programming project, you must write a short paper explaining what the program does, how it does it, and what one can learn by using the program.
Project due: due on Friday, March 16 (this is the day of the final exam); 90% of your project score.
Turn in your final project. Submit the project to MyUCDavis as described in All About Homework. If a team has multiple members, only one need submit the material, and the others can simply submit a note saying who submitted the final project.