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Course Detail

Course Name System Security
Course Code 26SN612
Program M. Tech. in Cyber Security Systems & Networks
Semester 2
Credits 4
Campus Amritapuri

Introduction

Preamble:

The primary objective of this course is to introduce computational problem- solving. It focuses on principles and methods thereby providing transferable skills to any other domain. The course also provides foundation for developing computational perspectives of one’s own discipline.

Objectives and Outcomes

Course Objectives

  • To understand core operating system internals — processes, threads, virtual memory, and file systems , as the foundation for system-level security analysis.
  • To develop proficiency in low-level C programming, assembly language, ELF binary internals, and Linux system interaction using industry tools including pwntools.
  • To investigate memory-based vulnerabilities including buffer overflow, format string attacks, integer overflow, ROP chains, and heap overflow, and apply exploit scripting using pwntools.
  • To explore exploit prevention mechanisms (stack canaries, DEP, ASLR) and Trusted Execution Environments (Intel SGX, ARM TrustZone) as defensive countermeasures.
  • To apply AI-guided fuzzing techniques and analyse hardware-level vulnerabilities including Spectre and Meltdown through case studies and hands-on lab exercises.

Course Outcomes

CO Description Bloom’s Level
CO1 Recall core operating system concepts — processes, threads, virtual memory, and file systems — that underpin system-level security analysis. Remember
CO2 Describe security goals, secure design principles, authentication mechanisms, authorization models (MAC, DAC, ACL), and privilege escalation defences used in building secure systems. Understand
CO3 Explain ELF binary internals, assembly language, Linux system calls, and shellcoding, and use pwntools for binary inspection and process interaction. Understand / Apply
CO4 Demonstrate exploitation of access control vulnerabilities — privilege escalation, SUID abuse, sandboxing bypass — and develop corresponding mitigations. Apply / Analyse
CO5 Construct and execute buffer overflow, format string, integer overflow, return-to-libc, ROP, and heap overflow exploits using pwntools, and evaluate countermeasures including stack canaries, DEP, and ASLR bypass. Apply / Evaluate
CO6 Analyse exploit prevention mechanisms, apply AI-guided fuzzing using AFL, and evaluate hardware-level vulnerabilities (Spectre, Meltdown) and Trusted Execution Environments (Intel SGX, ARM TrustZone). Analyse / Evaluate

Prerequisite: C Programming, Assembly Primer

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