Comment on Computer Systems Security 6.566 / Spring 2024Comments−tptacek7moIt's a fun class; worth keeping in mind that several topics with 1-2 units here are whole specializations in the field, including:* memory safety and exploitation (the "buffer overflow" section is about 20 years out of date, though super appropriate for a first course)* the WebPKI/certificates thing* messaging security and messaging cryptosystems,* microarchitectural security and hardware side channels.Multiple full courses on each of these subjects would bring you up to "practitioner" levels of expertise.−SoftTalker7moConsidering an undergraduate course is about 3-4 months in duration, there's only so much it can cover in any depth. Even the most rigorous are still pretty shallow compared to what someone with years of work in the field would know.−tptacek7moOf course! It's a survey course. But you could probably get somewhere significant in a rigorous 3-month course on memory corruption.−chc47moRPISEC's Modern Binary Exploitation is somewhat famous for doing exactly that!−tptacek7moMore people interested in security should know about RPI. :)
Comments
It's a fun class; worth keeping in mind that several topics with 1-2 units here are whole specializations in the field, including:
* memory safety and exploitation (the "buffer overflow" section is about 20 years out of date, though super appropriate for a first course)
* the WebPKI/certificates thing
* messaging security and messaging cryptosystems,
* microarchitectural security and hardware side channels.
Multiple full courses on each of these subjects would bring you up to "practitioner" levels of expertise.
Considering an undergraduate course is about 3-4 months in duration, there's only so much it can cover in any depth. Even the most rigorous are still pretty shallow compared to what someone with years of work in the field would know.
Of course! It's a survey course. But you could probably get somewhere significant in a rigorous 3-month course on memory corruption.
RPISEC's Modern Binary Exploitation is somewhat famous for doing exactly that!
More people interested in security should know about RPI. :)