Human-centered security and privacy

CS-464 / 4 credits

Teacher: Wei Miranda

Language: English

Summary

Safeguarding security, privacy, and online safety are critical sociotechnical challenges that require integrating computing and social science. This course introduces fundamentals of human-centered computer security and privacy while drawing on novel research about emerging threats to online safety.

Content

This course will investigate computer security and privacy from a human-centered perspective. Students will learn about core security and privacy technologies, societal and ethical challenges in online safety, and how to effectively study people's attitudes, opinions, and behaviors.

  • Weeks 1-2: defintions of security, privacy, usability
  • Weeks 3-5: usable authentification, privacy and online advertising; running and evaluating user studes
  • Weeks 6-8: equity and inclusion in S&P; societal and ethical challenges in research
  • Weeks 9-11: safety on social media, online threats; tools, interventions, and eduction
  • Weeks 12-14: Emerging technologies, including smart devices, VR/MR, AI

Note that topics are tentative and will be explored at different depths. In class participation is strongly recommended.

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

  • Statistics
  • Programming
  • Computer security and privacy

Recommended courses

  • Data science

Important concepts to start the course

  • Programming experience (e.g., Python)
  • Technical writing and communication
  • Critical thinking and analysis

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Define a sociotechnical system, giving current and historical examples
  • Adopt an adversarial mindset to analyze sociotechnical systems
  • Understand technical attacks, defenses, and system designs
  • Design and evaluate user studies
  • Assess / Evaluate critically the societal impacts and ethics of sociotechnical systems

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Practical homework assignments

Expected student activities

  • In-class large and small group discussions
  • Lead 1 in-class discussion (based on an assigned reading)
  • Writing assignments

Assessment methods

  • In-class quizzes
  • Graded written exam

Supervision

Office hours Yes
Assistant.e.s Yes

Resources

Moodle Link

In the programs

  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Human-centered security and privacy
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Human-centered security and privacy
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Human-centered security and privacy
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Human-centered security and privacy
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Human-centered security and privacy
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional

Reference week

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