CSC 101 - Introduction to Computer Security

Course Overview

CSC 101 introduces students to fundamental computer security concepts:

• Security principles and threat modeling
• Cryptography basics (symmetric and public-key)
• Authentication and access control
• Network security (firewalls, VPNs, TLS)
• Web security (XSS, CSRF, SQL injection)
• Software security (buffer overflows, memory safety)

My Role

Teaching Assistant | Spring 2022, Spring 2021

• Led discussion sections covering security concepts
• Designed and graded hands-on lab exercises
• Mentored students on security-related projects
• Organized capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions for students

Lab Exercises

Created engaging labs including:

1. Cryptography Lab: Breaking weak encryption schemes
2. Web Security Lab: Exploiting and fixing common vulnerabilities
3. Network Security Lab: Setting up firewalls and intrusion detection
4. Binary Exploitation Lab: Understanding buffer overflows

Impact

• Introduced CTF competition that became annual department tradition
• Developed supplementary tutorials on security tools (Wireshark, Burp Suite)
• Mentored 5 undergraduate students who pursued security research
• Course materials adopted by other TAs in subsequent semesters

Guest Lectures

Delivered guest lectures on:

• “Real-World Security Incidents: Case Studies” (2022)
• “Introduction to Applied Cryptography” (2021)