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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
Course Summary
Course Number and Name
ISOL 536 – Security Architecture and Design
Course Term and Delivery
2018 Fall - Main
Hybrid Course with Required Residency
Course Instructor
Dr. Gregory Gleghorn, Adjunct Professor
Email: gregory.gleghorn@ucumberlands.edu
Office Hours: By Appointment
Course Description
This course discusses useful models used to address potential threats in software systems and how to
apply such models in developing secure software and systems. Areas of study focus on threat modeling
strategies, including finding threats, addressing threats, and threat modeling technologies.
Major Instructional Areas
1. Understanding threat modeling
2. Strategies for finding threats
3. Techniques for managing threats
4. Validating threat handling activities
5. Understanding environment-specific threats
Course Objectives
1. Explain threat modeling and its importance to secure architecture.
2. Explore strategies for threat modeling.
3. Understand how techniques, such as STRIDE, are useful in finding threats.
4. Find threats using attack trees.
5. Identify threats with attack libraries.
6. Explore privacy tools.
7. Show how to process and manage threats.
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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
8. Employ defensive tactics and technologies.
9. Consider key tradeoffs when addressing threats.
10. Validate that threats are addressed.
11. Survey common threat modeling tools.
12. Develop a repository of requirements.
13. Examine web and cloud threats.
14. Understand user accounts and identity.
15. Explore how human factors and usability affect threat modeling.
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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
SCANS Objectives
SCANS is an acronym for Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. The committee,
appointed by the National Secretary of Labor in 1990, created a list of skills and competencies that
continue to be a valuable resource for individuals developing their careers in a high-tech job market. For
more information on the SCANS objectives, visit The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training
Administration: www.doleta.gov.
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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
Learning Materials and References
Required Resources
▪
Shostack, Adam. Threat Modeling: Designing for Security, Indianapolis, IN: Wiley, 2014
Recommended Resources
Please use the following author’s names, book/article titles, Web sites, and/or keywords to search for
supplementary information to augment your learning in this subject.
•
Tony UcedaVelez and Marco M. Morana
Rick Centric Threat Modeling: Process for Attack Simulation and Threat Analysis
Information Search
Use the following keywords to search for additional online resources that may be used for supporting your
work on the course assignments:
▪
Threat modeling
▪
Security architecture
▪
STRIDE
▪
Countermeasure
▪
Attack tree
▪
Computer security
▪
Information security
▪
Threat
▪
Vulnerability
▪
Software security assurance
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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
Course Outline
Course textbook: Threat Modeling: Designing for Security (Shostack, 2014)
Note: Assignments in the following table are listed as when they are due.
Grading Category
Activity Title
Grade
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)
Lesson 1: Introduction
▪
Required Readings
Chapter 1, “Dive In and Threat Model”
No assignment or exam this week
Lesson 2: How to threat model
▪
Required Readings
Discussion
Chapter 2, “Strategies for Threat Modeling”
Elevation of Privilege
3
Lesson 3: What is STRIDE?
▪
Required Readings
Assignment
Chapter 3, “STRIDE”
Article/paper review
3
Lesson 4: Attack trees and libraries
▪
▪
Required Readings
Quiz
Chapter 4, “Attack Trees”
Chapter 5, “Attack Libraries”
Chapters 1 – 5
4
Lesson 5: Privacy
▪
Required Readings
Chapter 6, “Privacy Tools”
No assignment or exam this week
Lesson 6: Processing threats
▪
Required Readings
Assignment
Chapter 7, “Processing and Managing Threats”
Case study
3
Lesson 7: Defensive tactics
Required Readings
▪
Chapter 8, “Defensive Tactics and Technologies”
No assignment or exam this week
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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
Grading Category
Activity Title
Grade
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)
Lesson 8: Mitigation trade-offs
Required Readings
Quiz
▪
Chapter 9, “Trade-Offs when Addressing Threats”
Chapters 6 – 9
5
Lesson 9: Validating threats
Required Readings
Assignment
▪
Chapter 10, “Validating That Threats are Addressed”
Article/paper review
3
Lesson 10: Residency week
Required Readings
No required reading this week
Research
paper/presentation
Residency week research paper
40
Lesson 11: Threat modeling tools
Required Readings
▪
Chapter 11, “Threat Modeling Tools”
No assignment or exam this week
Lesson 12: Requirements cookbook
Required Readings
Discussion
▪
Chapter 12, “Requirements Cookbook”
Topic TBA
3
Lesson 13: Threats to web and cloud
Required Readings
Assignment
▪
Chapter 13, “Web and Cloud Threats”
Article/paper review
3
Lesson 14: Threats to identity and accounts
Required Readings
Quiz
▪
Chapter 14, “Accounts and Identity”
Chapters 10 – 14
5
Lesson 15: Threats to usability
Required Readings
Discussion
▪
Chapter 15, “Human Factors and Usability”
Threat modeling review
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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
Grading Category
Activity Title
Grade
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)
Lesson 16: Course Review and Final Examination
Exam
Final Examination (comprehensive)
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ISOL536 – Security Architecture and Design
Evaluation and Grading
Evaluation Criteria
The graded assignments will be evaluated using the following weighted categories:
Category
Weight
Discussions/Assignments
21
Quizzes
14
Research paper
40
Final exam
25
TOTAL
100%
Grade Conversion
The final grades will be calculated from the percentages earned in the course, as follows:
Grade
Percentage
A
90–100%
B
80–89%
C
70–79%
F