Computer Security and Privacy
Applied Computer Science · 3 hrs Lecture | 1 hrs Lab
Offered: Fall Or Winter, Every Year
ACS-4921 prerequisites
6 courses appear in this chain, up to 4 levels deep. 1 is needed whichever route you take: ACS-2906
Part of this course's requisite text couldn't be parsed into structure, so the chain below may be incomplete. The full wording is under “Requisite courses”.
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Where ACS-4921 counts
Counts toward 2 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 71 of 141 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
This course introduces students to the security and privacy issues in computer systems. It covers the fundamental computer security techniques such as encryption methods, public key cryptography, hash function and signature schemes, key exchange protocols, authentication and access control models. The course also examines the applications of these techniques for multimedia security, intrusion detection, copyright and password protection, and protection from malicious programs. Privacy preserving techniques such as data aggregation, perturbation, k-anonymity and l-diversity, and ethical issues are also discussed. Students at the ACS-4921 level additionally undertake a comprehensive project on a topic related to computer security and privacy.
Requisite courses
ACS-2906 and ACS-2947 with a minimum grade of C or permission of the Department Chair [prerequisite(s)]; ACS-4921L (must be taken concurrently).
Restrictions
Students may not hold credit for this course and ACS-3921.
Cross-listed
ACS-3921(3).
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.