University of Padua - MSc in Cybersecurity
Advanced Topics in Computer and Network Security
Academic Year: 2023/2024

Lecturer: Mauro Conti

Teaching Assistant: Francesco Marchiori and Alessandro Lotto

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Note: In this page you will find updated information about the course.
(students are invited to visit often this page).

Course Content:

• Introduction to Advanced Topics in CyberSecurity.
• Student Presentations.
• Final Project.

• IoT and Cyber-Physical System (Industrial security and Vehicular security).
• Machine Learning for security (authentication systems, privacy-preserving, threat identification).
• Adversarial Machine Learning (i.e., the security of machine learning applications).
• Blockchain theory and application.
• Encryption.
• Social Network Security

The second part consists in presentations held by the students, based on a selection of a Cybersecurity topic (that either has had a strong impact on security today or explore novel ideas that may be important in the future). The list of topics can be found HERE. For each topic, students are requested to read the suggested primary paper. The speakers for that topic (about 2 students) have a finite time (20 minutes if 3 groups are presenting in that day, 15 minutes if 4 groups are presenting in that day) to present the assigned topic (primary and at least one of the secondary papers). The presentation will be followed by about 10 minutes of interactive discussion in the class.
Each student will also need to choose 3 of those lectures (in different topics) in which they will participate in the interactive discussion by asking some thought-provoking questions on the primary paper in class and also upload them on a form (at least 24 hours ahead of the topic presentations). These questions should critically evaluate the papers (e.g., questioning the assumptions, criticize the methodology, compare with other solutions, propose alternative solutions).

The third and final part consists of a project session. Each group previously composed during the second part must write a about 10-page long essay about the topic presented in class. The direction and the structure of the essay must be agreed with the lecturer. The essay might include some implementation prototype or experiments/simulations to evaluate/support the claim in the paper. If the student cannot attend the lectures, an alternative work (e.g. a longer essay) must be agreed with the lecturer. The final essay will be presented during an oral exam, where the students are asked to give a 15-minute presentation to the lecturer and the teaching assistants about the essay (presenting with slides is highly recommended).

Grading Criteria:

• (25%) the presentation during the second part of the course
  • (15%) Layout and Graphics
  • (30%) Content
  • (20%) Organization
  • (20%) Presentation
  • (15%) Q&A.
• (25%) the participation in the discussions during the second part of the course
• (25%) the content and quality of the essay
  • (30%) Style
  • (20%) Originality
  • (50%) Organization (clarity in your argumentation, coherence between assumptions and conclusions, logical organization, evidence to support claims)
• (25%) the oral presentation of the essay, during which the student can also be asked questions on the first part of the course