COMP 790-132 (Syllabus)
M 1-3:30
SN011

Instructor

Cynthia Sturton
csturton@cs.unc.edu
FB354
Office Hours by appointment

Course Description

Hardware sits at the base of any software stack and as such forms the foundation for the security of the system. In this class we will learn about the ways in which hardware can support software, known threats to the security of hardware, and the latest research on mitigating those threats. Some of the topics we will cover in this class include: Trusted Enclaves, Side Channel Attacks, Hardware Trojans, and Hardware Roots of Trust. The class is meant for students who are interested in aspects of hardware and computer architecture security. The course will be research focused: classes will be centered around a discussion of published research in the security and architecture communities, students will work on an original research project and will write a conference-style paper describing their work.

Project

Students will work in groups of 2 on an original research project. At the end of the semester, each group will submit a workshop-quality paper and give a short presentation in class describing their work. A written project proposal will be due roughly five weeks into the semester. We will discuss possible project ideas in class; however, you are encouraged to develop your own ideas.

Reading

We will read two papers per class. You are required to complete the reading and submit a short write-up for each paper. Your review should contain:

• One to three sentences summarizing the problem addressed, the basic approach taken, and the results demonstrated;
• One sentence describing the key insight or innovation of the paper;
• One to five sentences describing the strengths of the paper, as you see them;
• One to five sentences outlining any concerns you have, and
• [Optional] ideas for new research.

You will also submit, for each paper we read, any questions you would like to bring up during discussion. These may be:

• General questions about the topic; or
• Specific questions about technical details in the paper.

Submit your questions and your reviews through Google Classroom by midnight of the night before class.

Although your written responses will be short (a half-page review is the norm; reviews should never be longer than one page), the reading will not be quick. You will need to read each paper thoroughly in order to write an insightful review and actively participate in the class discussion.

Paper Presentation

Each person will be responsible for presenting 1--2 papers to the class over the course of the semester.

Grading

Final Project: 50%
Paper Presentations: 30%
Paper Reviews and Discussion: 20%