| 1041792 | BIOMETRIC SYSTEMS [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives General goals:
To be able to design and evaluate a biometric or multibiometric system.
Specific goals:
To know the features and basic techniques related to physical biometric identifiers, such as face, fingerprint, iris, etc., and behavioral, such as gait, signature (dynamic), voice, typing mode, etc. Architecture of a biometric system: unimodal systems and multibiometric architectures. To be able to evaluate the performance of a biometric system according to the adopted modality: verification and identification. To be able to evaluate/assure the robustness of a biometric system against spoofing attacks (identity theft).
Knowledge and understanding:
Fundamentals of design of a biometric system and of the techniques to extract/match the specific characteristics for the main biometric traits.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
To be able to design and implement an application for biometric recognition for at least one biometric trait.
Critical and judgmental capabilities:
To be able to assess the performance and robustness of a biometric system to presentation attacks. To be able to transfer techniques and protocols in different contexts.
Communication skills:
To be able to communicate/share the requirements of a biometric system, the most suited modalities for a certain application, and the performance measures of a system.
Capability of autonomous learning:
To be able to autonomously get a deeper insight on the course topics, in relation to either specific/complex techniques and methods, or to biometric traits not covered in the course.
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| 1054960 | Computer systems and programming [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives General Objectives
Main objective of the course is to provide the basics of system programming.
Specific Objectives
Students will be able to autonomously develop programs able to interact with the operating system and exploit its services.
Knowledge and Understanding
-) Knowledge of the C programming language and of the tools normally available in the development environment (compiler, preprocessor, debugger, make, etc.).
-) Knowledge of the main functions of an operating system and its fundamental components (Scheduler, Virtual Memory Manager, Filesystem .. )
-) Knowledge of the most important primitives and interfaces in order to create and synchronize processes and threads, exchange messages and signals.
-) Knowledge of the socket framework and its API.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
-) How invoke system primitives and correctly integrate system calls in applications
-) How select the most appropriate frameworks and paradigms, depending on application requirements and runtime characteristics.
Autonomy of Judgement
Students will be able to assess the complexity and the implementation criteria of specific applications
Communication Skills
Students will be able to describe how their applications use the system call API and explain the reasons behind their choices.
Next Study Abilities
Students will be able to further develop their skills examining, with more details, the architecture and the programming interface of the operating system.
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| 1047623 | DATA AND NETWORK SECURITY [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives Data and Network Security
General goals
The course Data and Network Security is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in the fundamental principles of cybersecurity, while also exposing them to current trends and cutting-edge developments in the field. Moreover, this course aims at promoting active participation in class and students' discussions on such security topics
Specific goals
The Data and Network Security course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of a broad spectrum of cybersecurity concepts, paradigms, and real-world applications. It emphasizes a critical perspective on the evolving threat landscape, encouraging students not only to learn the foundations of cybersecurity but also to explore cutting-edge challenges and research trends. Each lecture is structured with a dual purpose: first, to introduce a specific cybersecurity topic—such as authentication mechanisms, types of malware, covert communication channels, cyber deception, remote attestation in IoT, digital forensics, data privacy, software-defined networking, and advanced persistent threats—and second, to highlight key research questions, emerging threats, and novel techniques relevant to that topic. This approach ensures that students gain both theoretical grounding and awareness of practical and research-driven issues. A central aim of the course is to cultivate critical thinking and research-oriented curiosity. Students are encouraged to go beyond surface-level understanding by engaging with research papers that have either advanced the state of the art or uncovered new vulnerabilities and system abuses. To foster this mindset, students will conduct independent research on a security topic of their choice. They will analyze current approaches, present their findings to peers, and participate in discussions about future directions in cybersecurity. This active engagement with contemporary research equips students with the skills to evaluate, question, and contribute to the field.
Knowledge and understanding
Students will gain a solid foundation in the fundamental principles of cybersecurity, including the core concepts, technologies, and practices that protect digital systems and data from unauthorized access, attacks, and exploitation. They will explore key areas such as cryptographic methods, secure communication protocols, threat modeling, and common types of cyberattacks (e.g., phishing, malware, denial-of-service). Through both theoretical instruction and practical examples, students will develop an understanding of how cybersecurity measures are designed, implemented, and evaluated in real-world systems. This foundational knowledge will prepare them to critically assess security risks, recognize vulnerabilities, and apply basic protective mechanisms in a variety of digital environments.
Application of knowledge and understanding
Students will apply the knowledge gained throughout the course by engaging in individual or group projects that encourage them to explore diverse and emerging areas within the cybersecurity landscape. These projects will challenge them to investigate specific security issues, analyze real-world threats or vulnerabilities, and evaluate existing or novel defense mechanisms. By conducting literature reviews, designing experiments, or developing proof-of-concept implementations, students will deepen their understanding of the field while also developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and research communication skills. The projects will culminate in presentations and technical reports, fostering collaborative learning and peer feedback.
Critical and Judgmental Skills
Students will develop critical analytical skills needed to evaluate and compare alternative approaches when designing secure information systems. This includes the ability to identify potential vulnerabilities, assess trade-offs between security and usability, and make informed decisions grounded in both theory and practical considerations.
Communication skills
Students will learn how to effectively document their technical and design choices, using both manual methods and automated reporting tools commonly adopted in cybersecurity workflows. In addition, they will develop the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific topics by preparing and delivering structured presentations. This will strengthen their skills in articulating research findings, defending their decisions, and engaging in informed discussion—essential competencies for both academic and professional environments.
Learning ability
The knowledge and skills acquired during the course equip students with a solid foundation for pursuing more advanced studies in cybersecurity. They will also be prepared to stay current with ongoing developments in the field, enabling them to critically engage with emerging threats, technologies, and research trends throughout their careers.
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| 1055047 | Economics of technology and management [ING-IND/35] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives Knowledge and understanding
The course deals with the decision making processes of firms. In particular, students are expected to learn the basic principles of
• microeconomic analysis of the firm,
• the structure of firms and their internal organization,
• firm technology strategy,
• economic evaluation of investment projects,
• financial accounting
Applying knowledge and understanding
Students will be able to apply basic methods and models of microeconomics, organization theory and corporate finance in order to:
• identify the determinants of firms’ strategic choices,
• analyze the relationship between technological change in the industry and firms’ strategies
• evaluate the profitability of investment projects
• analyze the financial statement of a company
Making judgements
Lectures, practical exercises and problem-solving sessions will provide students with the ability to assess the main strengths and weaknesses of theoretical models when used to identify firms’strategies.
Communication
By the end of the course, students are able to discuss ideas, problems and solutions provided by the microeconomics of the firm, organization theory and corporate finance both with a specialized and a non-specialized audience. These capabilities are tested and evaluated in the final written exam and possibly in the oral exam.
Lifelong learning skills
Students are expected to develop those learning skills necessary to undertake additional studies on relevant topics in microeconomics, organization theory and corporate finance with a high degree of autonomy. During the course, students are encouraged to investigate further any topics of major interest, by consulting supplementary academic publications, specialized books, and internet sites. These capabilities are tested and evaluated in the final written exam and possibly in the oral exam, where students may have to discuss and solve some new problems based on the topics and material covered in class.
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| 1047634 | INTERNET OF THINGS [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives General objectives:
The course will provide students with both theoretical and practical background on wireless and Internet of Things systems. The course includes an hands on lab.
Specific objectives:
The course will provide students with both theoretical and practical background on wireless and Internet of Things systems. The unique challenges of such systems will be introduced, explaining why they requires special design choices with respect to wired networks. The student will be able to reason on what are the right design choices to increase efficiency, reliability, energy efficiency,..., creating the background for being able to design future generation sensing and IoT systems. He/she will also have the possibility to have hands on experience on programming IoT devices in a lab.
Course summary
-Introduction to Wireless Systems (design challenges of a wireless system; things to know on how the signal propagate, on how to design a low power system and on how to cope with limited resources available)
-From 2G to 5G: Cellular systems evolution towards an integrated system including also Internet of Things (Architecture, Protocols, Procedures, detailed presentation of how cellular systems work)
-Sensing systems basics: MAC protocols, routing protocols, localization and synchronization
-Towards the Internet of Things: features, standards, open challenges, low power IoT radio technologies -SigFox, LoRa
-Trends in Internet of Things research. This part will cover on going research issues related to future generation IoT systems. It will be based on research papers and maybe subject of revision during the class based on students interests and emerging topics. The following topics are expected to be addressed:
*Towards zero energy consuming IoT systems: how energy harvesting and wake up radios, as well as passive backscattering technologies are changing what and for how long we can do in IoT systems.
* IoT security issues and how blockchain technologies is being exploited in large scale IoT deployments to enable IoT vertical applications.
* When IoT meets machine learning: system level optimization at scale through machine learning techniques.
* IoUT (Internet of Underwater Things): how IoT, robotic technologies and machine learning are changing the Blue Economy sector.
- Lab: IoT systems programming
Knowledge and understanding:
At the end of the course students will have acquired knowledge about the performance trade offs associated to different system design choices and will be able to read and understand technical documents on wireless and IoT systems (papers, standards,---). At the end of the course students will be able to analyze standards and technical documents, understanding and implementing them. He/she will have done practical hands on experience on the programming and performance evaluation of such systems.
Application of knowledge and understanding:
The students will be able to provide solutions for new generations of wireless and IoT systems.
Judgment skills:
Students will develop the analytical skills necessary to evaluate various alternatives for the design of wireless and IoT systems selecting the best alternative for a
specific application scenario.
Communication skills:
Students will learn to present, in a synthetic and accurate way, using an adequate technical language, ideas, solutions and research results on wireless and IoT systems.
Learning ability:
The course will provide students with both theoretical and practical background on wireless and Internet of Things systems.
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| 10589555 | Practical Network Defense [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives General objectives
The course explains the fundamentals of the methods and tools for the protection of computer networks. Particular attention is paid to the practical application of the concepts learned.
Knowledge and understanding
List commonly-seen threats arising from the use of particular protocols in networked computer systems. Explain mechanisms commonly used by intruders and designers of malware in order to compromise a computer system's security. Explain the basic mechanisms used for the detection of intrusion attempts in computer systems.
Application of knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course students will be able to monitor traffic in networks, apply a security policy, perform a network scan and search for vulnerabilities in a computer network. Students will develop the ability to select the appropriate firewall rules to protect a network, select the most appropriate mechanisms to protect a networked computer system and to make the most appropriate design choices to implement a "defense in depth" strategy, using isolated networks and dedicated tools (VPN, proxy and firewall).
Judgment skills
Students will develop the analytical skills necessary to evaluate different alternatives during the design process of a computer network, with particular reference to the evaluation of the architectural choices and related risks and to the security objectives that the system wants to pursue.
Communication capacity
Students will learn how to document their choices, also through the use of automated reporting tools. They will also have acquired the ability to prepare presentations related to specific scientific topics.
Ability to continue learning in an autonomous way
The concepts acquired during the course will provide students with a solid knowledge base in order to further deepen the more technical aspects, explore the alternatives not dealt with for time reasons and to autonomously keep themselves informed on the continuous developments and updates of network security and protection.
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| 1054962 | Secure Computation [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives General Objectives
The objectives of this course consist of presenting the concept of
secure computation with the purpose of designing systems for data
protection according to the data in use paradigm, therefore avoiding
data leakage towards servers, satisfying the principle of data
minimization. This course include both theoretical and practical
contents.
Specific Objectives
The course will introduce the concepts of security through simulation,
the use of garbled circuits, the computations through encrypted data
via homomorphic encryption, secret sharing and fairness in in
distributed computations, including both theoretical and practical
aspects, presenting concrete use cases and devoting part of the
allocated time to the use of libraries allowing to concretely
implement software including the above functionalities.
Knowledge and Understanding:
-) Knowledge of the concept of secure, fair and private computation.
-) Knowledge of the cryptographic tools useful for secure computation.
-) Understanding the practical limits when achieving practical secure
computation.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
-) Use of libraries to realize applications of secure computation.
-) Measure the performance and the obtained security levels with
existing libraries.
Critiquing and judgmental skills:
The students will be able to judge the actual (in)security of a design
and its performance.
Communication Skills:
The students will learn how to illustrate the various options to
securely realize systems through techniques of secure computation.
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| 1047642 | SECURITY IN SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives General Objectives
The basics of security in software programs
Specific Objectives
Methodology and tools to find and remove the most common software vulnerabilities, and to develop software free of security flaws
Knowledge and Comprehension
Learning the most effective techniques to remove vulnerabilities from code and to develop software satisfying specific security policies
Ability to apply Knowledge and Comprehension
The student is able to transfer the knowledge on the methodologies to the selection of the appropriate techniques and tools to remedy to the presence of vulnerabilities.
Authonomy of judgement
The student learns to analyze the problem and to identify the proper methodologies and tools to solve problems of software security
Ability to Communicate
The student is able to communicate successfully and to defend the choices made in the selection of the appropriate methodologies and tools.
Ability to Learn
The student is able to continue the learning process in authonomy to comprehend new methodologies and the applicability of new tools.
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| 1054963 | Systems and Control Methods for Cyber-Physical Security [ING-INF/04] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives General objectives
The course aims at providing basic concepts and methodologies of control theory, operations research and game theory, which constitute an analytical framework for the modeling of cyber-physical systems and of the main types of attacks on cyber-physical systems (for example: "denial of service", " replay attack "," covert attack "," false data injection ") and for the solution of security games and decision problems. The course will summarize a number of such methodologies and show how their application is able to deal with cyber-physical security problems in numerous example use cases.
Specific objectives
Knowledge and understanding:
The students will learn methodologies for to model and solve security problems in cyber-physical systems by unsing control theory, game theory and operations research methodologies.
Apply knowledge and understanding:
At the end of the course, the student will be able to derive abstract mathematical models for a wide class of cyber-physical systems, to analyze, starting from these models, some important properties concerning their security.
Critical and judgment skills:
The student will be able to to face cybersecurity problems through control theory, game theory and operations research methodologies.
Communication skills:
The course activities allow the student to be able to communicate / share the main problems concerning cybersecurity problems in cyber-physical systems and the possible design choices for their soultions.
Learning ability:
The aim of the course is to make students aware on how to deal with control and decision-making problems in the context of cybersecurity problems in cyber-physical systems.
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| 10616549 | Advanced cryptography [INF/01] [ITA] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives General Objectives
Traditional cryptographic tools are insufficient for data protection in emerging scenarios. The objectives of this course consist of presenting several modern cryptographic tools and techniques along with their applications to realize the principle of "security and privacy by design" in the Cyberspace. This course provides both theoretical and practical expertise.
Specific Objectives
The course will illustrate the power of advanced signature schemes, advanced encryption schemes, verifiable random functions, privacy-preserving proof systems and cryptographic puzzles. A particular focus will be given to concrete applications like e-voting, e-auction, privacy-preserving contact tracing, digital cash, anonymous cryptocurrencies, identity wallet, secure messaging, fighting misinformation, GDPR compliance (right to be forgotten and data minimization principles), practical libraries and tools for advanced cryptography.
Knowledge and Understanding:
-) Knowledge of the security properties of advanced cryptographic tools.
-) Knowledge of the main hardness assumptions, on which the security
of advanced cryptographic tools is based.
-) Knowledge of the cryptographic schemes currently used in real life.
-) Understanding of their (practical and theoretical) properties.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
-) How to select and combine together the right advanced cryptographic
tools for a given application.
-) How to analyze the security and efficiency of a system based on
advanced cryptographic tools.
Critiquing and judgmental skills:
The students will be able to judge whether a system is secure or not according to a realistic threat model.
Communication Skills:
The students will learn how to illustrate the resilience of a digital system to concrete attacks.
Ability of learning:
The students will obtain the necessary background for a deeper study of the subjects.
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