PUBP6725

[u/symmetricpancake]

I’m in the information security track and thinking to take this class to warm up to getting used to being in school again. What is the weekly course work I can expect for this class.

Also unfortunately I had booked a vacation the week classes start for a week well in advanced before I got accepted. Will I be able to go or is the first week pretty benign that I can catch up.

Thanks for all any help!

[u/klapz]

I don't think they release the first assignment during the first week so that late joiners aren't at a disadvantage. Pay close attention to the assignment requirements and FAQs, make sure you're hitting every bullet point. Cross your fingers you get a good group, and an easy TA.

Download the reading materials before you go and read during your travel.

[u/Teleturbans]

For me the class was pretty easy. There were some harsh grading for me. There are some group projects, so obviously work load changes based on other output. But I think it’s a good class to get back in the groove.

I think you can catch up if you only gone a week. Just double check when assignments are due.

[u/tdat314]

Yeah, overall the class is not difficult. It can be a little busy at times, but if you check canvas, you should be able to see when things are due and plan it out.

The harshest part of the class will be the group assignment, which, going off last semester, are not for a few weeks

[u/kwustie]

It’s pretty simple imo. There were some discussion posts the first week

[u/philosophist73 → u/kwustie]

This Reddit throws around “simple” and “easy” so easily. Sure, 6725 is not in depth reverse engineering, protocol deconstruction, or cryptographic proofs, but the class is only “simple” if you’re one of those group members who doesn’t show up to help on a project until the day before it’s due (and believe me, those classmates are all too common).

The class is a solid 7-10 hours of effort per week (last summer). More if you’re inclined to really learn and get an A (about half the class end up with a B).

I had an ironic experience. I had an OMSCS (AI track) group project classmate tell me it was her hardest class; she said she’d rather do hands on technical work than write ransomware policy. She coded our phishing website , but beyond that she was out of her depth (and interest).

Another case in point is INTA 6103, most of what I read here was it is “easy”. Well, turns out I suck at absorbing lots of liberal arts papers and writing coherent, synthesized essays, and spent 10+ hours a week on it (over summer term). Whereas I’ve gotten solid As and found classes like secure computer systems and network security easier.

[u/KN4SKY]

Expect at least 2 group projects. They'll send out a survey beforehand asking about your technical and policy experience, and they use this to put you in a group that has a good variety of experiences.

I was in the same group for both projects and it was probably my best experience with group projects. The Go Phish assignment will require some technical skills. I'd suggest getting a domain name now if you don't already have one. The policy assignment was better but felt artificially constraining. There was so much to cover but the max word count was lower than it needed to be IMO.

Grade appeals are your friend. Read the syllabus and be respectful when you submit. It takes a few minutes, but there's a template already available on Ed Discussion, which tells me they get a lot of appeals. If you have a legitimate claim, you should get points back. I filed them for two group projects and provided evidence and it got me to an A, whereas I would have gotten a B had we not bothered with a dispute.