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CYBV479

Wireless Networking & Security

Course Description

CYBV479 provides students an introduction to wireless networking, mobile device hardware and software architectures as well as the application of security fundamentals for mobile computing systems. Students will be able to describe user associations and routing in a cellular/mobile network, interaction of elements within the cellular/mobile core, and end-to-end delivery of a packet and/or signal and what happens with the hand-off at each step along the communications path. They will be able to explain differences in core architecture between different generations of cellular and mobile network technologies. CYBV/NETV 479 meets the National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) academic requirements for cellular and mobile technologies and wireless security.

Learning Outcomes

The student will:

  • Recognize and explain the differences between each of the generations of cellular and mobile network architectures.
  • Define and explain the user association and routing within a cellular network.
  • Identify and evaluate the interaction between the different elements within a cellular/mobile network.
  • Define and explain the end-to-end delivery of a packet and/or signal and what happens with the hand-off at each step along the communications path.
  • Identify and describe the different types of mobile identifiers, what they represent and how they are used to support mobile networking.
  • Identify and describe the migration path from 2G to UMTS and the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), UMTS services, and the UMTS air interface.
  • Define and explain the Signaling System-7 (SS-7)/Common Channel Signaling (CC7) protocol, the three basic types of network nodes, and the SS-7/CC7 and IP-based SS-7 (SIGTRAN) protocol stacks.
  • Describe the elements of 3G WCDMA, 3G CDMA2000 network architecture and the five (5) main elements of the 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network architecture.
  • Identify and describe the Location Based Services (LBS) architectures.
  • Define and explain the various mobile encryption standards.
  • Identify and discuss the 802.11 network architecture.
  • Describe & discuss the hardware architectures and embedded security protections of modern 3G/4G smartphones.
  • Identify & discuss security vulnerabilities in smartphone hardware architectures and the iOS and Android mobile OS architectures.
  • Exercise critical thinking strategies including reasoning, problem solving, analysis and evaluation by identifying and recognizing potential security vulnerabilities within cellular and mobile network, hardware and software architectures.
  • Describe and demonstrate the vulnerabilities with ineffective mechanisms for securing or hiding 802.11 traffic.
  • Describe, and implement a secure wireless network that uses modern encryption and enforces the proper authentication of users.