NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: OPERATING SYSTEM SECURITY
Course prefix, number, and section number: ITSY2300
Semester/Year of course: Spring 2021-2022 (1st 8 weeks)
Semester start and end dates: 18 Jan – 12 Mar 2022
Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Hybrid
Class meeting location, days, and times: Room 201, Flower Mound Campus, Tuesdays 2:00 PM - 4:50 PM
Lab meeting location, days, and times: All labs are done online (cloud-based)
Semester credit hours: 3
Course description: Safeguard computer operating systems by demonstrating server support skills and designing and implementing a security system. Identify security threats and monitor network security implementations. Use best practices to configure operating systems to industry security standards. 32 lecture hours + 32 laboratory hours.
Course prerequisites: None listed.
Required course materials: Solomon, Michael. Security Strategies in Windows Platforms and Applications, Third Edition. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 2021; ISBN:1284175626, ISBN-13: 9781284175622 + Cloud Labs ($179.95)
Also, check Chegg.com, BooksRun.com and other outlets for book rentals or used books at discount prices.
Name of instructor: Zebedee King
Office location: Room 201, Flower Mound Campus
Telephone number: 214-598-3519
E-mail address: zking@nctc.edu
Office hours for students: Monday-Thursday 10:00 AM-4:00 PM (online); Always accessible via email.
SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER
The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
List of graded assignments: 11 (10 cloud-based labs + 1 final exam)
Final grade scale: 100
Late work policy: Each day an assignment is late will result in 5 points being taken off the submitted work. If an assignment is 10 days late, no credit will be given for that assignment.
SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.
COURSE POLICIES
Academic Integrity Policy:
Attendance Policy: Attendance is based on participation in the class, so you are expected to actively participate in the assignments and the graded discussion forums on a weekly basis. I also expect you to check your email every day on M-F for any additional content. Exams are not allowed to be turned in late (exam integrity). Discussion questions are only allowed opened during the week in which they are due.
Withdrawal Policy
A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.
Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: February 17
Student Learning Outcomes: At the conclusion of the course a student will be able to:
- At the conclusion of the course a student will be able to:
- Identify network security risks, security design, and monitoring solutions
- Identify sources of computer threats, evaluate potential practices, tools, and technologies to protect individual network systems
- Establish and sustain an operating system security plan utilizing systems and application security tools
- Implement procedures to secure and monitor audit logs and set system administrator alerts
- Develop an organizational operating system security plan that provides for periodic reviews of security policies, procedures, authorized users list, and software update patches.
Core Objectives:
- Describe information systems security and the inherent security features of the Microsoft Windows operating system.
- Describe threats to Microsoft Windows and applications.
- Implement security controls to protect Microsoft Windows systems and networks.
- Explain the purpose of system baselines, profiling, auditing, and vulnerability scanning.
- Perform backup and restore operations.
- Explain the role of Microsoft Windows security administration, security policies, and monitoring.
- Apply system hardening techniques in Microsoft Windows.
- Describe techniques for protecting Windows application software.
- Perform incident handling by using appropriate methods.
- Describe Microsoft Windows and application security best practices.
COLLEGE POLICIES
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.
ADA STATEMENT
NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.
STUDENT SERVICES
NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students. See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class. If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.
Name of Chair/Coordinator: Manuel Trevino, Jr.
Office location: 1400 North Corinth St., Suite 102, Room 110, Corinth, TX 76208
Telephone number: 940-498-6480
E-mail address: mtrevino@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Debbie Huffman
Office location: 1525 W. California St. Gainesville, TX 76240
Telephone number: (940) 668-3357
E-mail address: dhuffman@nctc.edu