September 10, 2004

CERIAS offers free information security course materials online

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In an effort to make the nation's computer networks less vulnerable, a Purdue University center has made materials for a course in information security available online to the public for no cost.

Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS) has partnered with Symantec Corp. to provide the materials, which are available for download online.

Pascal Meunier, an assistant research scientist at CERIAS, said security practices detailed in the course materials could help stem the tide of computer security breaches if used conscientiously by software developers.

"These materials can help programmers recognize, and then eradicate, potential weak spots in their products and Web sites," Meunier said. "Because breaches in information security remain widespread, we hope the materials will contribute to solving the problem at a grassroots level."

According to statistics gathered by CERIAS, about three-quarters of all information security vulnerabilities could be prevented if programmers were educated about secure programming practices and principles and if secure configuration defaults and designs were not overridden by marketing considerations. CERIAS created course materials addressing these problems for Purdue teaching in prior years and, with the support of Symantec, updated the materials so that those in the private sector could learn the principles as well.

"The materials are divided into three intensive courses that can each be covered fully in two and one-half days," Meunier said. "Educators can also mix and match the information to tailor courses to their organizations' needs."

Course materials cover topics including:

• Security best practices for managers, developers, quality assurance personnel and technical writers.

• Repeated mistakes, input validation and file system security for developers and highly skilled quality assurance personnel.

• Network security for developers and systems/network architects.

Symantec provides software, appliances and services designed to help individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises secure and manage their IT infrastructure. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more than 35 countries.

CERIAS is a multidisciplinary research and education center in areas of information security. The center has leading programs in various levels of security and assurance education, including graduate, undergraduate, K-12 and professional development. Purdue and CERIAS have program offerings at the master's and bachelor's degree levels. CERIAS also offers certification programs, workshops and seminars on a variety of topics.

Writer: Chad Boutin, (765) 494-2081, cboutin@purdue.edu

Source: Pascal Meunier, (765) 496-7709, pmeunier@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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