CS 254 – Network Security

Course overview

This graduate course covers foundational work and current topics in network security, including attacks, defenses, and vulnerabilities across major network protocols.

Topics include DNS, SSL/TLS, BGP, distributed denial of service, Web privacy, Internet measurements, censorship, and cybercrime. The course combines lectures with student-led paper discussions.

Students build both practical and research-oriented understanding of modern network security.

Grading

Final25%

Midterm25%

Presentations25%

Discussion & Participation25%

Ethics and policy

Please respect the rights and privacy of others.
Federal and State laws criminalize computer intrusion and wiretapping.
When in doubt, ask before experimenting.
UC Electronic Communications Policy

Paper presentation guidelines

Summarize clearlyState the problem, why it matters, how the paper addresses it, and the main contributions.

Be criticalDiscuss strengths, weaknesses, assumptions, and whether the paper’s evidence is convincing.

Drive discussionFrame questions that invite the class to engage critically and creatively with the work.

Schedule

Search by topic, paper title, author, or filter by session type.