# CPTS 439

***

### Overview

This course explores the principles, techniques, and challenges of securing safety-critical cyber-physical systems. Students will gain a deep understanding of the vulnerabilities and threats in these systems and learn how to design and implement security measures. Example domains that we will study include the security of industrial control systems, automotive systems, smart grids, time-critical systems, and commodity Internet-of-things (IoT).

* **Instructor:** [Monowar Hasan](http://monowarhasan.info/)
* **Email:** <monowar.hasan@wsu.edu>
* **Class time:** Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:10-2:00 PM
* **Class Location:** Pullman Campus, [Sloan 7](https://li.wsu.edu/buildings-and-spaces/general-university-classrooms/classroom-specs/sloan-7/)
* **Office Hours (EME B53):** Monday, Friday 2:15-3:00 PM or by appointment
* **Course Staff (TA):** YuQun Song (<yuqun.song@wsu.edu>)&#x20;
* **TA Office Hours:** Tuesday, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Sloan 343

> <mark style="color:orange;">**Important:**</mark> To better prepare yourself for office hours, read carefully the excellent guides from [Gabriel Parmer](https://www2.seas.gwu.edu/~gparmer/):
>
> * [Preparing and presenting yourself at office hours](https://www2.seas.gwu.edu/~gparmer/resources/2021-09-20-Office-Hours-HOWTO.html)
> * [Expected norms for online interactions](https://www2.seas.gwu.edu/~gparmer/resources/2020-08-01-Online-Conduct.html)

***

### Course Syllabus

The course syllabus is available [here](https://monowarhasan.info/courses/CPTS439_Syllabus_SP25.pdf).

***

### Textbook

The course uses materials from state-of-the-art cyber-physical and IoT security literature. In-class discussions and lecture slides will be sufficient to understand the basic concepts. *No textbook is required.*

***

### Course Schedule

**Note:** *The lectures and code files are hosted on the WSU OneDrive cloud. You need WSU credentials to access the materials. If you are from outside WSU and want to use these materials, please email Prof. Hasan at <monowar.hasan@wsu.edu>.*

<table><thead><tr><th width="79" data-type="number">WK</th><th width="81">Date</th><th width="215">Topic</th><th>Remarks</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>01/06<br>(Mon)</td><td>Course overview</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>01/08<br>(Wed)</td><td>CPS/ICS background</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>01/10<br>(Fri)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><strong>MH is preoccupied with another event</strong></td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>01/13<br>(Mon)</td><td>CPS security overview</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>01/15<br>(Wed)</td><td>CPS security<br>Access control</td><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Reading assignment 1 released</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>01/17<br>(Fri)</td><td>Access control </td><td></td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>01/20<br>(Mon)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="color:green;">Martin Luther King Jr Day</mark></td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>01/22<br>(Wed)</td><td>Access control mechanisms</td><td><mark style="background-color:blue;">Reading assignment 1 due</mark></td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>01/24<br>(Fri)</td><td>Isolation techniques</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>01/27<br>(Mon)</td><td>Isolation techniques</td><td><mark style="background-color:red;"><strong>Project proposal due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>01/29<br>(Wed)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><strong>MH is traveling</strong></td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>01/31<br>(Fri)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><strong>MH is traveling</strong></td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>02/03<br>(Mon)</td><td>Trusted execution environments</td><td><mark style="color:purple;">Prog. assignment 1 released</mark></td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>02/05<br>(Wed)</td><td>Security models</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>02/07<br>(Fri)</td><td>Security models</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>02/10<br>(Mon)</td><td>Information flow</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>02/12<br>(Wed)</td><td>Information flow (contd.)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>02/14<br>(Fri)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>Class Canceled</strong></mark></td><td><strong>MH is unavailable due to a sudden emergency</strong><br><br><mark style="background-color:purple;"><strong>Prog. assignment 1 due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>02/17<br>(Mon)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="color:green;">President's Day</mark></td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>02/19<br>(Wed)</td><td>Exam-1 review</td><td>Informal feedback</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>02/21<br>(Fri)</td><td><mark style="color:red;"><strong>Exam 1</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="color:orange;">In-class, closed-book exam</mark><br><mark style="color:orange;">Time limit: <strong>45 minutes</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>02/24<br>(Mon)</td><td><mark style="color:blue;">Guest Lecture: Control Systems and Security</mark></td><td>Guest lecture by <a href="https://mme.wsu.edu/mme-personnel/wsu-profile/mehdi.hosseinzadeh/">Mehdi Hosseinzadeh</a><br><mark style="color:purple;">Prog. assignment 2 released</mark></td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>02/26<br>(Wed)</td><td>Covert channels<br>ICS network</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>02/28<br>(Fri)</td><td>ICS network security</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>03/03<br>(Mon)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><strong>MH is preoccupied with another unavoidable meeting</strong></td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>03/05<br>(Wed)</td><td>ICS network security</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>03/07<br>(Fri)</td><td>ICS network security</td><td><mark style="background-color:purple;"><strong>Prog. assignment 2 due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>03/10<br>(Mon)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="color:green;">Spring vacation</mark><br><mark style="color:purple;">Prog. assignment 3 released</mark><br><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Reading assignment 2 released</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>03/12<br>(Wed)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="color:green;">Spring vacation</mark><br></td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>03/14<br>(Fri)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="color:green;">Spring vacation</mark></td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>03/17<br>(Mon)</td><td>ICS network security</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>03/19<br>(Wed)</td><td>ICS intrusion detection</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>03/21<br>(Fri)</td><td>Controller area network (CAN)</td><td><mark style="background-color:red;"><strong>Project update due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>03/24<br>(Mon)</td><td>CAN security</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>03/26<br>(Wed)</td><td>Real-time systems</td><td><mark style="background-color:blue;"><strong>Reading assginment 2 due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>03/28<br>(Fri)</td><td>Real-time security</td><td><mark style="background-color:purple;"><strong>Prog. assignment 3 due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>03/31<br>(Mon)</td><td>Real-time security</td><td><mark style="color:purple;">Prog. assignment 4 released</mark></td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>04/02<br>(Wed)</td><td>Real-time security</td><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Reading assignment 3 released</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>04/04<br>(Fri)</td><td>Real-time security</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>04/07<br>(Mon)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No Class</strong></mark></td><td><strong>MH is preoccupied with another event</strong></td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>04/09<br>(Wed)</td><td>CPS security remarks</td><td><mark style="background-color:blue;"><strong>Reading assignment 3 due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>04/11<br>(Fri)</td><td>Exam review and closing</td><td><mark style="background-color:purple;"><strong>Prog. assignment 4 due</strong></mark></td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>04/14<br>(Mon)</td><td>Project presentation</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>04/16<br>(Wed)</td><td>Project presentation</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>04/18<br>(Fri)</td><td>Project presentation</td><td><mark style="background-color:green;">End of class!</mark></td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>04/21<br>(Mon)</td><td>Buffer Day </td><td></td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>04/23<br>(Wed)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No class — exam preparation</strong></mark></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>04/25<br>(Fri)</td><td><mark style="color:green;"><strong>No class — exam preparation</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="color:green;">Last day of instruction</mark></td></tr><tr><td>17</td><td>04/30<br>(Wed)</td><td><mark style="color:red;"><strong>Exam 2</strong></mark><br><mark style="color:red;"><strong>Project report due by 3:30 PM</strong></mark></td><td><mark style="background-color:red;"><strong>Project due</strong></mark><br><mark style="background-color:red;"><strong>Exam 2 4/30 1:30-2:15 PM</strong></mark><br><mark style="color:orange;">In-class closed-book exam</mark><br><mark style="color:orange;">Time limit: <strong>45 minutes</strong></mark><br><mark style="color:orange;">The date/time is chosen based on the</mark> <a href="https://registrar.schedule.wsu.edu/exams/final-exams/"><mark style="color:orange;">final exam master schedule</mark></a></td></tr></tbody></table>

***

### Reading Assignments <a href="#resources" id="resources"></a>

There will be **three** reading assignments: Week 2, Week 10, and Week 13. Grading for reading assignments will be based on ***submission*** or ***non-submission***: total points for attempted assignments with reasonable answers will be awarded, while unattempted tasks will receive no points.

***

### Term Project

Students will engage in a semester-long project related to critical infrastructure security. A team of a maximum of **three students** is acceptable.  The students will submit an end-of-semester report and an in-class presentation (time limit: 10 minutes).\
\
The term project could be one of the following types:

1. **Survey:** Students will survey the related research fields. The survey should include a summary of at least 8 papers from top journals/conferences.
2. **Exploration:** Students will explore a new research problem related to CPS/IoT security.&#x20;

Some problems of interest are as follows (NOTE: this is NOT the list you are required to choose from):

* Integrating security monitoring/cryptographic primitives in CPS
* Using trusted computing time-critical CPS
* Lightweight and privacy-preserving machine learning models for autonomous systems
* Review of TEE-related (TrustZone/SGX) security vulnerabilities for the CPS applications
* Investigating covert/side-channels in real-time/CPS/SCADA applications

**Project Deliverables:**

* **Project proposal:** The term project proposal with a timeline (max two pages) must be submitted and approved by the instructor by the end of **Week 4**.
* **Mid-semester update:** A progress report (max three pages) of the project is due by **Week 10**.
* **Project presentation:** Students present their work in class (maximum 10-15 minutes). Other students must ask questions and engage in discussions.
* **Final submission:** The final project submission includes a report, all related code/data, and presentation slides. Use the [IEEE conference format](https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html) template for your report. Reports can be up to 6 pages, excluding references (and appendices, if any). The final project is due by **Week 15**.

***

### Exams

There will be **two** exams on **Week 7** and **Week 16**. Details will be announced on Canvas/Class.

***

### Programming Assignments <a href="#resources" id="resources"></a>

We will have **four** programming assignments in this course. The assignments must be completed individually.&#x20;

* Assignment 1: CPS Security Warm-Up -- Analyzing a Firmware Image
* Assignment 2: Attacking a Cyber-Physical Plant
* Assignment 3: Hacking an Automotive System (Controller Area Network)
* Assignment 4: UAV Autopilot Controller Security

**Notes:**&#x20;

* You will need access to a Linux machine (or VM) to complete the labs.&#x20;
* For Windows systems, [WSL](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install) is **not recommended**. You must install a standalone VM image.&#x20;
* Due to the incompatibility of newer M-series (ARM) Mac computers, it is recommended to use X86-based Windows/Linux machines (or older Intel-based Macs) to create the VM images.&#x20;
* For those with M-series Macs (or if you can't use your laptop), we will provide compatible systems (located in EME labs). However, no remote access is available -- you must be physically present in the lab to use those machines.

### Programming Assignment Submission <a href="#pa" id="pa"></a>

We will use [GitHub Classroom](https://classroom.github.com) to deliver programming assignments. To learn more about the GitHub workflow, see [GitHub Quickstart](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart).

**Are You Using GitHub for the first time on your machine?**\
If you are using GitHub for the first time on your development machine, you need to authenticate your account — one way to do this is by using [GitHub CLI](https://github.com/cli/cli). Install GitHub CLI using the instructions given [here](https://github.com/cli/cli#installation). Then run the following command and follow the prompts to authenticate your system: `gh auth login`.

#### Submission Workflow <a href="#resources" id="resources"></a>

1. For each lab, you will find a GitHub Classroom link on Canvas. Once you click the link and log into your GitHub account, find your name in the student list and click it to accept the assignment. Please double-check your name and email address before accepting the assignment. *If you accidentally choose another student's name, please contact the instructor.*
2. A repo named `wsu-cpts439-term/paX-name` will be automatically created for you and hosted on GitHub with the starter code.
3. You can then "clone" your repository onto your development machine. You will complete assignments on your development computer and then "push" your work to the GitHub-hosted remote repository for us to grade.
4. **Final submission:**&#x20;
   * Copy the URL of your GitHub repository on the corresponding assignment section on Canvas.&#x20;

For any questions on setting up GitHub, please reach out to the instructor.

***

#### <mark style="color:blue;">Got stuck? Questions about anything? Feel free to contact the instructor on Teams (preferred) or via email: <monowar.hasan@wsu.edu>!</mark>