Offensive Technologies

6 EC

Semester 1, period 3

5384OFTE6Y

Owner Master Security and Network Engineering
Coordinator dr. Kostas Papagiannopoulos
Part of Master Security and Network Engineering, year 1
Links Visible Learning Trajectories

Course manual 2025/2026

Course content

The internet is a paradise for cybercriminals. In many cases attacker can break into poorly configured systems without being even noticed. Bugs, viruses, worms, denial-of-service, and theft can cause major havoc. This course looks at various attacks vectors and exploits, as well as at resources that the system and network administrator has available to detect, understand and resolve security incidents. The course includes studying threats by performing cyber attacks on lab environments. After analyzing the causes of a successful break-in, solutions will be discussed, both on a design and implementation level.

Study materials

Other

  • Lecture notes, online material, research papers and book chapters

Objectives

  • The student can select the right exploitation tools for an IT system
  • The student can analyze the effectiveness of exploitation tools
  • The student can analyze the cryptographic protocols of modern IT systems
  • The student can evaluate the security of IT systems, software, hardware or network protocols against attackers
  • The student can reflect on existing security findings in IT systems
  • The student can present an existing exploit to security students and researchers
  • The student can recognize the ethical & legal implications of security exploits
  • The student can collaborate to deploy a known security exploit

Teaching methods

  • Lecture
  • Computer lab session/practical training
  • Presentation/symposium
  • Supervision/feedback meeting

The lectures offer the basic theory about software, network, hardware and other exploits.
The lab sessions follow up with specific assignments that train the students in deploying and protecting against such exploits.
The course project allows the students to delve deeper into a specific security topic.
The presentations train the students on how to convey information to a cybersecurity audience.

Learning activities

Activity

Number of hours

Lectures

4 hours per week

Lab Sessions

8 hours per week

Attendance

  • Some course components require compulsory attendance. If compulsory attendance applies, this will be indicated in the Course Catalogue which can be consulted via the UvA-website. The rationale for and implementation of this compulsory attendance may vary per course and, if applicable, is included in the Course Manual.

    • Additional requirements for this course:

    The course has the standard SNE attendance requirements i.e. obligatory attendance to Lectures and Lab Sessions.

    Assessment

    Item and weight Details

    Final grade

    0.67 (67%)

    Project Report

    		Mandatory

    0.33 (33%)

    Project Presentation

    		Mandatory

    IDS assignment

    		Must be ≥ pass

    System Security assignment

    		Must be ≥ pass

    Hardware Security assignment

    		Must be ≥ pass

    Network Security assignment

    		Must be ≥ pass

    Inspection of assessed work

    Contact the course coordinator to make an appointment for inspection.

    Assignments

    The students have to carry out the lab assignments with the assistance of the TAs (pass/fail)
    The students have to carry out a group project on any Offensive Technology of their choice (2/3 of final grade)The students have The studets to carry out a group presentation about their project (1/3 of final grade)

    Fraud and plagiarism

    The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

    Course structure

    Weeknummer Onderwerpen
    1 Intrusion Detection Systems
    2 Network Security
    3 Software Security
    4 Sofware Reversing
    5 Lecture-free week
    6 Hardware Security
    7 Code Reviewing
    8 Hardware Reversing
      Student Presentations

    Additional information

    Recommended prior knowledge: C programming, TCP/IP, advanced Linux and Windows skills, basic elements of cryptography and cryptographic protocols

    Contact information

    Coordinator

    • dr. Kostas Papagiannopoulos

    Teaching assistants: Linus Mainka (l.mainka@uva.nl)