ECE 8843: Side-Channels and Their Role in Cybersecurity

Instructional Team

Alenka Zajic

Alenka Zajić
Instructor
 Milos Prvulovic

Milos Prvulovic
Instructor

Overview

The primary objective of this course is to provide an in-depth treatment of digital and analog side-channels and their use for attacks and defenses in cyber security. Upon completion of the course, the student will have a high degree of confidence in discussing the fundamental mechanisms of side-channel creation, analysis, and application to various cybersecurity problems, and have competence in considering these mechanisms during software and hardware development.

Course Goals

As part of this course, students:

  1. Will gain an insight into side-channels, how they are created and used in cybersecurity
  2. Will learn and practice how to exploit digital and analog side-channels for cybersecurity
  3. Will learn and practice how to analyze side-channels for program monitoring and supply chain verification

Once completed, students should have the following capabilities:

  • A high degree of confidence and competence in discussing the fundamental mechanisms of side-channel creation, analysis
  • A high degree of confidence and competence in applying side-channels to various cybersecurity problems

Sample Syllabus

Fall 2021 syllabus and schedule (PDF)
Spring 2021 syllabus and schedule (PDF)
Fall 2020 syllabus and schedule (PDF)

Note: Sample syllabi are provided for informational purposes only. For the most up-to-date information, consult the official course documentation.

Before Taking This Class...

Suggested Background Knowledge

Suggested prerequisites are graduate standing and some background in high performance computer architecture (e.g. ECE 4100/6100). Students should also be able to modify existing programs and write new programs in C/C++.

Technical Requirements and Software
  • High-speed Internet connection
  • Laptop or desktop computer with a minimum of a 2 GHz processor and 2 GB of RAM​
  • Windows for PC computers OR Mac iOS for Apple computers
  • Complete Microsoft Office Suite or comparable and ability to use Adobe PDF software (install, download, open and convert)
  • Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and/or Safari browsers

Academic Integrity

All Georgia Tech students are expected to uphold the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code. This course may impose additional academic integrity stipulations; consult the official course documentation for more information.