Cultivating human resources that can build secure networks and software capable of withstanding diverse attacks, and provide security and safety in the information society

Due to the development of the information society, companies from all sectors are utilizing information infrastructure for their business. On the other hand, attacks against information infrastructure are on the rise, and the realization of secure and safe information infrastructure is becoming the most important field in the field of information and communication.
In response to this social change, this course aims to develop human resources that have a broad knowledge of information systems, security and cryptographic techniques, and network technology in general, as well as advanced practical capabilities required to meet the needs of the information society.
In this course, in addition to learning about the basics of computer hardware to computer systems as a whole, students will learn design and building techniques for network systems utilizing the Internet or mobile wireless networks. Furthermore, students will study configuration and cryptographic techniques for secure information infrastructure.

Distinctive CurriculumCURRICULUM

• Cryptography Students will learn important mathematical methods that transform critical information, when sent, received, or stored, into something meaningless to third parties.

• Cryptographic Applications Based on privacy protection technology, which is an applied technology of cryptography, we are working on how to utilize large-scale personal information (e.g., purchase history of e-commerce sites, medical information, etc.) while protecting it.

• Personal authentication technology Students can learn technologies whereby users are verified as to whether they are legitimate users of a system. Specifically, fingerprints or irises are used for biometric authentication.

• Coding theory Students can learn detailed and practical skills for correcting channel noise or data errors caused by storage media characteristics.

• Wireless networks Students will acquire in-depth knowledge of wireless networks, which are essential for mobile phones and smart phones, including knowledge on the characteristics of electromagnetic waves used in wireless communication. In addition, students will learn about a wide variety of technologies, including evolving technologies (multi-antenna system and millimeter wave communication) for realizing ultra-high-speed wireless communication.

• Computer networks In addition to the basic structure (such as LAN and WAN) and basic technology (such as TCP/IP) of computer networks forming the huge Internet, students will acquire advanced skills for designing and developing network systems and services.

• Network security Students will learn about a wide variety of themes, ranging from the mechanism of attacks against computer networks (such as malware and DoS attacks) to security technologies (such as cryptography, authentication, and certification) for designing and building secure network systems.

• Mobile ad hoc networks Students will learn broadly about mobile ad hoc network technology, which enables wide-range communication in the real world by connecting mobile phones and smart phones communicating with each other even in places where conventional Internet access is unavailable, including applications such as safe-driving support via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

• Sensor networks Students will engage in a wide variety of activities for building sensor networks in which various sensors deployed on the real world have connectivity to the Internet through low-power wireless network technologies (such as ZigBee and LoRa) and which are used for observing wild animals or the environment over long periods, the activities ranging from acquiring basic skills to implementat in the field.

• Delay-tolerant networking Students will engage in a wide variety of activities related to delay tolerant networking in which, even in places such as remote islands and mountainous areas where building Internet infrastructure is difficult, communication devices attached to people, vehicles or drones “storing” information and in which information is “carried and forwarded” to a place where communication with other devices is possible, the activities ranging from acquiring basic knowledge to developing systems.

• Network Cache The use of network caches, which temporarily store and deliver video data, is essential for delivering large-volume data such as video on the Internet at high quality and low cost. In this course, students will learn about the usage patterns and control techniques of caches, one of the core technologies of the Internet.

• Countermeasures against side-channel attacks Side-channel attacks are attacks that use seemingly innocuous information, such as the time it takes for a program to run or the temperature of a CPU, to infer confidential data or conduct unauthorized communications. To counter such attacks, we study the design of safer and more secure computer systems based on a deep understanding of not only the technology of using computers but also the principles of computer operation from various angles.

• Dependable system Dependability, that is, the field of high reliability and safety and security. More specifically, through working on their graduation thesis, students can learn how to achieve provision of services in operation non-stop 24 hours all year round that are required for data centers and various servers, for example.

• Program analysis In the field of software engineering, students will also conduct research on techniques for analyzing programs to ensure that highly confidential data is not leaked unintentionally.

• Computer security Operating Systems (OSes) have functions for operating applications securely. Virtualization technology also has security functions that protect the OS. However, in order to realize OS execution environments and application execution environments which are secure against continually evolving attacks, it is necessary to build more robust security functions for OSs and virtualization technology.

• Operating system (OS) On computers we use daily, we can use various applications on the hardware while switching from one program to another. This very convenient feature is provided by a special software called an OS. OSes maintain hardware in order that it can be used anytime, and provide an interface to applications. In addition, OSes manage computing resources for efficient execution of applications even when numerous applications are executed. And they realize an environment where applications can run securely and independently from each other.

• Virtualization technology Only one OS is allowed on a single hardware for executing multiple applications. Virtualization technology takes it one step higher by enabling multiple OSes to be executed on a single hardware. With this technology, it is possible to cut costs by integrating systems that are conventionally operated individually on multiple hardware into a single hardware. It is also possible to realize fault tolerant environment by suspending a running OS temporarily, transferring it to another hardware, and making it resume there. Furthermore, virtualization technology can improve the security level through monitoring OS execution.

Curriculum

To learn more about Security and Networks Course+ MORE

• Faculty Members

  Introduction of the faculty members in Security and Networks Course

• Research

  Introducing the research activities of the College of Information Science and Engineering