CSS 437: Hacker Techniques, Tools and Incident Handling

Course Description

This course will focus on an introduction to hacking tools and incident handling. Areas of instruction include various tools and vulnerabilities of operating systems, as well as the software and networks used by hackers to access unauthorized information. This course also addresses incident handling methods used when information security is compromised. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

ENG 101: English Composition 1
ENG 102: English Composition 2
ITE 145: Fundamentals of Information Systems Security OR CSS 101 Cybersecurity Fundamentals
ITE 220: Networking and Data Communcation (Recommended)

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Explain the history and current state of hacking and penetration testing, including ethical and legal implications.
Identify fundamental TCP/IP concepts and technologies related to networking.
Describe cryptology.
Identify basic equipment controls, physical area controls, and facility controls.
Identify common information gathering tools and techniques.
Analyze how port scanning and fingerprinting are used by hackers.
Analyze how enumeration is used in conjunction with system hacking.
Analyze wireless network vulnerabilities exploited by hackers.
Perform web and database attacks.
Identify and remove common types of malware from infected systems.
Identify Trojans, backdoors, and covert communication methods.
Perform network traffic analysis and sniffing by using appropriate tools.
Analyze systems using Linux tools.
Perform incident handling by using appropriate methods.
Compare and contrast defensive technologies.

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Weight
Discussions	4%
Written Assignments	26%
Lab Assignments	20%
Project	30%
Final Exam	20%
Total	100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

Oriyano, Sean-Philip. Hacker Techniques, Tools, and Incident Handling - with Access Code. Jones-Bartlett, 3rd ed., 2020. ISBN-13: 971284172607
- Note: This is a bundle which includes the textbook and the Access Code required for this course. We discourage students from purchasing “used” materials from other sources due to access codes not working properly.

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1,2,3	Topics: Introduction to Ethical Hacking and Cryptographic Concepts Readings: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit Week 1 Assignments Developments in Hacking, Cybercrime and Malware Cryptography Vulnerability of a Cryptosystem Submit Week 1 Labs Assessing and Securing Systems on a Wide Area Network (WAN) Applying Encryption and Hashing Algorithms for Secure Communications
2	5,11	Topics: Footprinting and Social Engineering Readings: Chapter 5 Chapter 13	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit Week 2 Assignments Information Gathering Plan Data Gathering and Footprinting Protection Plan Submit Week 2 Lab Data Gathering and Footprinting on a Targeted Web Site
3	6,7	Topics: Port Scanning, Enumeration, and System Hacking Readings: Chapter 6 Chapter 7	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit Week 3 Assignment Top Ports and Rising Ports Review Submit Week 3 Lab Using Ethical Hacking Techniques to Exploit a Vulnerable Workstation Submit Project Part 1: Current Security Threats
4	8,9	Topics: Wireless Vulnerabilities and Web and Database Attacks Readings: Chapter 8 Chapter 9	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit Week 4 Assignments Wireless Exploit Research Web Application Attacks Prevention Submit Week 4 Lab Auditing a Wireless Network and Planning for a Secure WLAN Implementation Attacking a Vulnerable Web Application and Database
5	10	Topics: Malware, Worms and Viruses Readings: Chapter 10	Read assigned chapter Review the Lecture material Submit Week 5 Assignment Malware Lifecycle Submit Week 5 Lab Identify and Removing Malware on a Windows System Submit Project Part 2: Vulnerabilities in Information Technology (IT) Security
6	12,13	Topics: Network Analysis and Linux Readings: Chapter 11 Chapter 12	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit Week 6 Assignments Network Attacks Basic Linux Commands Submit Week 6 Labs Analyzing Network Traffic to Create a Baseline Definition
7	4,14,15	Topics: Incident Response and Defensive Technologies Readings: Chapter 4 Chapter 14 Chapter 15	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit Week 7 Assignments Controls Gaps in Incident Response Submit Week 7 Labs Investigating and Responding to Security Incidents Securing the Network with an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Submit Project Part 3: Investigative Findings on Malware Submit Project Part 4: SQL Injection
8	1-15	Topics: Incident Response and Defensive Technologies (cont...) Readings: Review the material from the previous weeks to prepare for Final Exam	Submit Project Part 5: Analysis of Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Traffic with Inbound Attacks Submit Project Part 6: Defense Plan to Prevent Attacks Complete Final Exam Complete the Course Evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.