Program Overview

Introduction to Usable Security and Privacy (CS60081)

The Usable Security and Privacy course focuses on designing secure and private systems with a user-centric approach. It combines concepts from computer systems, human-computer interaction (HCI), and secure/private system design. The course introduces core security and privacy technologies, as well as HCI techniques for conducting robust user studies.

Course Description

All secure and privacy-preserving systems are ultimately used by humans, who might or might not understand the intended usage of these systems. Thus, designing secure and private systems with usability in mind is crucial. This course will cover topics like passwords, definitions of privacy, usable encryption, authentication, privacy of archival data, usability of crypto libraries, and privacy notices.

Instructor and Teaching Assistants

• Mainack Mondal (Instructor)
• Avirup Mukherjee (Teaching Assistant)
• Anju Punuru (Teaching Assistant)

Course Information

Credit and Background Knowledge

• Credit (L-T-P): 3-0-0
• Background Knowledge: Familiarity with basic computer science/mathematics concepts, including computer networks and operating systems basics, basics of security, computer programming (preferably in Python), and probability and statistics.

Lectures and Schedule

• Scheduled lecture timings: Monday (3:00 pm - 4:55 pm), Tuesday (3:00 pm - 3:55 pm), and an extra slot on Wednesday (8:00 pm - 9:30 pm) for activities like viva, project discussion, and project presentation.
• The course will be conducted online with a mix of live lectures, pre-recorded course videos, and online doubt-clearing sessions.

Textbook and Coursework

• No specific textbooks; publicly available research papers/book excerpts will be posted for reading and quizzes/viva.
• Coursework consists of semi-regular quizzes/vivas and a term project (in groups of 2-3).

Evaluation Components

• Viva/Class Test: 54% (18% each for three tests)
• Term Project: 46%

Term Project Details

• Students work in groups of 2-3 on course projects, with a choice of projects provided.
• The project aims to teach principles of usable security and privacy hands-on and produce an academic research paper.
• Reports must be in ACM double-column "sigconf" template, and each report should contain the student's name and roll number.
• A detailed timeline for project milestones, including preference submission, project assignment, proposal submission, and final report submission, is provided.

Honor Code and Grading

• Collaboration on assignments is prohibited; discussing problems is allowed, but submitting solutions that are not one's own constitutes cheating.
• Grading is based on Viva/Class tests (54%) and the Term Project (46%).

Wellness and Copyright Policy

• If personal emergencies impact work, students should inform instructors via private chat.
• All teaching materials are copyrighted, and reproduction or redistribution without explicit consent is not permissible.

Final Notes

This course emphasizes the importance of usability in security and privacy, providing a comprehensive approach to designing systems that are both secure and user-friendly. By combining theoretical foundations with practical applications, students gain a deep understanding of how to create systems that protect user privacy while being accessible and intuitive.