University of Miami · Fall 2025

CSC 116 — Cybersecurity: An Introduction to Security in Cyberspace

Build a rigorous foundation in security concepts from cryptography and authentication to secure systems and human factors. Slides and hands‑on demos included — no textbook required.

Cox Science 145
Mon/Wed · 3:35–4:50 PM
Instructor: Yusen Wu
Important Notices

Course Overview

View Schedule
Classroom
Cox Science 145
Lecture Hours
Mon/Wed · 3:35–4:50 PM
Instructor
Yusen Wu · yxw1259@miami.edu
Teaching Assistant
Satyarth Arora · sxa1654@miami.edu
Office Hours
Tue · 3:00–5:00 PM (by appointment)
Location
Ungar Building 310T
Discussion Forum

Important Notices

Read first
ReminderUpdated

0) No Textbook Required. All materials are provided via slides and in‑class demos.

1) Course Goals. Develop a systematic understanding of cybersecurity across hardware, software, networks, and human factors.

2) Learning Objectives.

  • Understand cyberspace threats, vulnerabilities, and blockchain systems.
  • Recognize threats to hardware, software, and network components of mobile devices.
  • Differentiate malware types and mitigation strategies.
  • Apply authentication, authorization, hashing, and access control correctly.
  • Evaluate strengths/weaknesses of existing systems and emerging trends.
  • Demonstrate critical thinking from an information security perspective.
3) Attendance Policy

Attendance is not mandatory, but random attendance checks contribute 10% of the grade.

4) Grading Policy

Grades are based on straight percentages; minor adjustments may be made to ensure fairness across the distribution.

5) Honor Code

Abide by the University of Miami Honor Code. Do not seek external assistance on individual assignments/projects. For clarification, consult the instructor.

6) Disability Accommodation
  • Accommodations require documentation from UM’s Office of Disability Services within the first week.
  • For quizzes, students with accommodations will answer a proportionately fewer number of questions instead of receiving extra time.

7) Online Discussion Forum. Register on Ed Discussion.

8) Final Grade Scales.
Grade scale chart

Course Schedule

Dates & resources
Class Date Day HW Quiz Topics / Links
1 Aug-18 Monday Importance of Cybersecurity.
Notes
2 Aug-20 Wednesday Overview
3 Aug-25 Monday Tutorial: decrypt homework Symmetric Encryption
4 Aug-27 Wednesday Download HW1 (Part 1)

Part 2: Generate your public key & add to table
HW 1 deadline: Sep 15. Email Part 1 answers to TA (sxa1654@miami.edu).
Demo: Encrypt/Decrypt Messages (bring your laptop)
Download your keys
Sample code: generate asymmetric keys
5 Sep-03 Wednesday Quiz 1 (Open book)
6 Sep-08 Monday Authentication, Authorization, Hash Functions
7 Sep-10 Wednesday Digital Signatures / Certificates
8 Sep-15 Monday Homework 2 Access Control, MACs
9 Sep-17 Wednesday Quiz 2 (Open book)
10 Sep-22 Monday Database
Today SQL questions · Answers · Patient Database
11 Sep-24 Wednesday Single Point of Failure · BFT
12 Sep-29 Monday Single Point of Failure · BFT Part 2 / DDoS
13 Oct-01 Wednesday Quiz 3 (Open book)
14 Oct-06 Monday HW3 -- Read it! Blockchain: Overview
15 Oct-08 Wednesday HW for CSers: Install and Use Hyperleder Blockchain Blockchains
16 Oct-15 Wednesday Blockchain Smart Contracts · Blockchain Applications
17 Oct-20 Monday AI Security
18 Oct-22 Wednesday HW4 Data Anonymization
19 Oct-27 Monday Quiz 4 (Open book)
20 Oct-29 Wednesday Zero‑Knowledge Proof / Watermarking
21 Nov-03 Monday Secure Multi‑Party Computation / Differential Privacy / Threshold Signatures
22 Nov-05 Wednesday HW5 Homomorphic Encryption
23 Nov-10 Monday Federated Learning / Multi‑Modal Model
24 Nov-12 Wednesday Training Personalized LLMs for Specific Tasks
25 Nov-17 Monday Quiz 5 (Open book)
26 Nov-19 Wednesday Group Registration Student Presentation 1
27 Nov-24 Monday Student Presentation 2
28 Dec-01 Monday Student Presentation 3

Grades Composition

How your final grade is calculated
Exercises Grade % Comments
Assignments 30% 5 times
Quizzes 40% 5 times
Final Exam 20%
Attendance 10% Random checks throughout the term