axemansean

We were talking about Fermet's Little Theorem in my Computer Security class and my teacher mentioned Fermet's other theorem which he proved on the corner of a piece of paper that was subsequently burnt and took mathematicians years and over 300 pages to prove. Well the theorem is simple it says:

There exists no solution for A^n + B^n = C^n for any n > 2. n being a positive non zero integer.

Now reading this...

http://home.mindspring.com/~jbshand/ferm.html

Appears that there are solutions, it truly depends on the definition of an integer and the levels of significance.

Any thoughts???

Nightshade

Oh I think I peed myself in excitement

axemansean

In a sarcastic mood ay? Dang it where all all the math majors when I need them... oh I know they went scuba diving. h:

ADRteg

Explain "computer security" class, what's it about? what does it have to do with? That sounds like what I want to get into but I'm not sure the name of what I want to do.

axemansean

You talk about computer security from the early days of Caesar ciphers to the DES standards. We started with simple one to one encryption, then we talked about polymorphic encryption. Its fun... you get to look at encryption and decryption and learn how hackers work. My first project is to decode a message that is randomly encoded using letter distribution tables.

ADRteg

Well I want to get into hacking, like say a company needs someone (hacker) to keep other hackers out of their system, is computer security the name of what I would specialize in?

axemansean

This is our course outline:

1) Security Threats and Vulnerabilities [1 week]. What is computer security and why it is important. Threats and vulnerabilities. Different types of computer security.

2) Encryption Basics [4 weeks]. What is encryption and how it protects both stored data and communications. Private key cryptography, public key cryptography, digital signatures, and Data Encryption Standard.

3) Program Security [1 week]. Basic types of malicious code, including viruses, worms, Trojan horses, trap doors, and spoofs.

4) Physical Security and Biometrics [1 week]. Physical security and different types of physical access devices and biometric devices.

5) Security of General Purpose Operating Systems [1 week]. System and data access controls: protecting memory and addressing, file protection mechanisms, and user authentication.

6) Trusted Systems [1.5 weeks]. Basics of trusted computer systems, including the design and evaluation criteria.

7) Database Security [1 week]. Confidentiality, integrity and availability of databases.

8) Network Security [1 weeks]. Network security issues such as message confidentiality and integrity violations, and denial of service. Types and examples of firewalls.

9) Administering Security [1 week]. Security management and administration. Setting and publicizing the security policy. Performing risk analysis. Disaster planning and recovery.

10) Legal and Ethical Issues [1.5 weeks]. Legal issues related to protecting program and data, the rights of employees and employers. Computer crime. Ethical issues in computer security.

axemansean

Yeah... need to be very versatile in math and programming. Most hackers know a good deal of math because most encrypted code follow set mathematical standards. You wouldn't be working as a hacker, they'd list you as a security expert... actually its the exact field I am interested in.

RB

I learned about Activity Based Product Costing in my accounting class h:

ADRteg

yeah I'm in the compsci program now, that course outline definately sounds interesting to me, but I've got a few years before I'd get into that. Check out this book, I bought it and it is a great book

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846