NETSECI: Network Security 1

Course Syllabus

 

Course Description: The Network Security 1 course focuses on the overall security processes in a network with particular emphasis on hands on skills in the following areas:

  • Security policy design and management
  • Security technologies, products and solutions
  • Firewall and secure router design, installation, configuration, and maintenance
  • AAA implementation using routers and firewalls
  • Securing the network at both layer 2 and 3 of the OSI model

The course duration is one semester, beginning in the student’s senior year.

 

Prerequisites

The completion of this course requires the following:

Reading Age Level (RAL) of 13

Successful completion of CCNA 4

 

Instructional Philosophy: This course requires extensive student reading, completion of written assignments and completion of hands-on laboratory projects.  Additionally the students will practice learned skills by providing technical service support for the all of the school’s computers.  There will be a balance of lecture and demonstration throughout the course.  The course is comprised of the following learning styles:

  1. Weekly Module Reading Assignments
  2. Daily Homework Covering Reading Assignments
  3. Daily Lectures Covering Module Material
  4. Daily Review of Homework Assignments
  5. Weekly Hands-On Lab Assignments Covering Module Material
  6. Daily Hands-On School Trouble Ticket Period(s)
  7. Weekly Review Lectures
  8. Weekly Test Assessments

 

The course presentation is designed to continually reinforce the material covered each week on approximately a module per week schedule.  First, the students independently read the material as a first pass at learning the material.  Second, the students re-enforce what is learned by answering Focus and Concept questions in the engineering journal.  The review questions are broken up into daily homework assignments in an effort to aid the students in their time management.  The third re-enforcement is a daily lecture covering the material in the module and paced with the reading and homework assignments.  The end of the lecture is used to review the homework assigned the previous night.  The fourth re-enforcement is the completion of weekly hands-on laboratory assignments directly related to the module material.  Typically 4 or 5 labs are completed for each Module and each lab has a set of review questions used to evaluate the completion of the lab.  The last re-enforcement is a comprehensive review of the material presented during the week and an open question and answer session to finalize the material learned.  A final test assessment is completed the day following the review.

 

The assessment for the course will be divided between the written homework assignments, the hands-on laboratory assignments and a module test. 


Course Goals

Upon completion of the Network Security 1 course, students will have developed an understanding of:

  1. Security terminology and acronyms
  2. Basic and advanced security vulnerabilities
  3. Security policy design and management
  4. Security technologies, products, solutions and design
  5. Trust and identity technology at layer 2 and 3
  6. Configuring and using the Cisco Secure Access Server
  7. Advanced Firewall installation, configuration, monitoring and maintenance
  8. AAA implementation using Cisco routers and PIX Security Appliances
  9. Layer 2 security features including Identity Based Network Services (IBNS) and 802.1x
  10. Filtering network traffic on switches, routers and PIX devices
  11. Secure Network Design

 

Major Course Projects and Assignments

After completing this course AND the Network Security 2 course, students will be prepared to take the Securing Networks with Cisco Routers and Switches (SNRS) and Securing Networks with PIX and ASA (SNPA) Security Certification exams. These are two of the five exams that count towards the Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) certification. In addition, Network Academy students who pass these two exams will be able to apply for Cisco Firewall/ASA Specialist status.

 

1. Technical Performance Projects.  Module Laboratory Assignments will be completed throughout the duration of the course:

 

2. Applied Academics Projects.  For each of the modules, the student’s will be responsible for reading the module and completing the end-of-module review questions.  Daily lectures, a weekly review and a test are completed to finalize the material in each module.

 

3. Problem Solving Projects.  The student’s will develop and practice their problem solving skills by supporting the computers throughout the school.  The various problems and issues that are presented serves as an effective means for the students to develop broad-based, practical troubleshooting skills required to tackle any networking issue.  Time will be scheduled on a daily basis for the students to work on completing trouble tickets.

 

Course Assessment Plan

 

Performance Standards: Grades for the course will be based on the following levels of performance:

 

Grade Performance Standard

A Independent Learner

Did research, designed and planned; applied academic skills; evaluated work and made adjustments; did quality work; needed little help from the teacher; sought and found resources independently; displayed a positive attitude; demonstrated knowledge with a grade of 90 or higher.

 

B Semi-Independent Learner

Did research, designed and planned; needed some help from the teacher; did quality work with a few flaws; needed feedback from the teacher to realize work could use improvement; redid work to meet standards; displayed a generally positive attitude; demonstrated knowledge with a grade of 80 or higher.

 

C Dependent Learner

Needed help to research, design and plan or had to be given a plan; relied a great deal on the teacher; had to be given procedures for performing tasks; required significant help to produce a quality product; needed help to evaluate a product; final product still did not meet standards; attitude displayed could use improvement; demonstrated knowledge with a grade of 70 or higher.

 

D Highly Dependent Learner

Needed significant help to research, design and plan or had to be given a plan; relied a solely on the teacher; had to be given procedures for performing tasks; could not produce a quality product independently; needed help to evaluate a product; final product still did not meet standards; poor attitude; demonstrated knowledge with a grade of 65 or higher.

 

F Failure

Did not complete assignments; if assignments were completed, they were of such low quality that they did not pass; failed to follow procedures; did not show criteria for determining quality; behavioral problem; scored less than 65 on knowledge tests; produced a poor or no portfolio.

 

Assessment Description

Percent of Grade

Laboratory Assignments

40

Tests

40

Homework (Module Review Questions)

20