Hi Everybody, first of all, let me apologize that this course has been so shipwrecked due to my sick leave. I sincerely hope this is the worst course you have ever taken part of. I hope to give feedback on the intermediate or final version (depending which one you have already submitted) to all of you by tomorrow Wednesday May 16. If it's final version, I will also suggest a grade. If unhappy, you can improve your work up to May 31 and resubmit. If happy, please let me know also so I can give you your credits. If you've only yet submitted your intermediate version, you can make the final version by May 31, after which you'll get the comments and grade suggestion. If not happy, you'll have one week to improve and resubmit by June 7th. Due to these multiple deadlines because of my long sick leave, the presentations on May 18 are cancelled and there will be no presentations. Thanks for your patience and sorry for all the inconvenience! If you have any questions, please let me know.

We're organizing major's student meeting in playroom (A120) on 30.5.2012 at 16 o'clock. The event is casual and ment for major's, Nordsecmob and Mobile Computing students. Also, students considering selecting telecommunications as their major are invited. In the event, you can talk about study affairs with our three professors and personnel, and of course get connected with other major's students. Please participate to the doodle poll if you intend to come, so that we can order enough pizza and drinks. Welcome!

Dear students, please provide feedback for the course before the end of this month. According to T-110 policy, giving feedback is mandatory to pass a course.

Hi everyone, first of all - again sorry for the changes due to my long sick leave - and thanks for your patience! I will send you feedback on your essays by May 2nd. The new deadline for the final essays is May 11 - please let me know by email if this is too soon. The new suggested presentation date is May 18, same time. Please let me know by email if this is inconvenient for you, and I will reschedule or even end up cancelling the presentations completely. Again, sorry!!

I have learned that in order for me to add course students to users of the course blog, you need to first log into the Aalto blogs in general. So go to http://blogs.aalto.fi and log in with your Aalto username and password (it says "Log in to my blog", don't be confused), and the system will create you a username to be used at all Aalto blogs. I know this seems very inconvenient but that's just how these Aalto systems seem to be! After succesful login, I can add you to users of the course blog http://blogs.aalto.fi/usablesecurity If you have not yet sent me your Aalto email address, please do so asap! Thanks, Kristiina

Hi all, please note the topic selection deadline is March 16 - changed from the original due to the changed overall schedule. Of course, you are welcome to select a topic any time prior to that. BR, Kristiina

Unexpectedly, I was offered the chance to attend the Usable Security Workshop 2012 http://infosecon.net/usec12/index.php on March 2, 2012. This means I have to change the lecture time AGAIN from March 2 to March 9. I am very sorry the inconvenience. On March 2, I will however report directly to the course blog from the workshop. The workshop papers definitely represent the very latest work in the area by key players in this field. The papers are available for downloading at http://infosecon.net/usec12/program.html On March 9 there will a discussion session on essay topics and the workshop papers. Regular time and place, 14-16 at T5.

Hi again, sorry, there was wrong date in the body of the previous news: the new lecture date is indeed FRIDAY MARCH 2, usual time and place 2-4 pm at T5. Sorry...!! I have adjusted the essay selection and first draft deadlines accordingly. The end seminar date remains the same (May 11). Check lectures for the changed dates. Thanks.

The slides for the introduction lecture have been added to Noppa course pages undes "Lectures".

Hi, The exam for today can be found in Noppa at https://noppa.tkk.fi/noppa/kurssi/t-110.5220/exam_13.5.2011 BR, Kristiina

Hi again, if you are unhappy with your essay grade you can resubmit it after improvements to improve your grade. I will be available on 18.5.2011 between 1pm and 2 pm at T building in Konemiehentie 2 in the cafe area for giving you individual feedback on how to improve your essay if you wish to resubmit it by 31.5.2011 for a better grade. If you choose this alternative to improve your grade you need not take the final exam. If you have any questions, please send me email at kristiina.karvonen@hiit.fi

Hi everyone! I have realised upon receiving your essays that I have somehow ended up using a wrong template for the course essay (I intended to use a much lighter template but somehow they got mixed up and I didn't realise it until too late). This has resulted in lot more work for you as originally planned, as the template used takes in much more text per page. I am so sorry! So how to remedy the situation? My decision is that all essays that are minimum 8 pages long are enough to fulfill ALL requirements to pass the course T-110.5220 with 3 credits and you DO NOT need to take the final exam unless you wish to improve your grade. What to do now: If you've returned your essay by 10.5.2011: Check your grading. If you received 5, this will be your final grade for the course and you need not do anything. DO NOT take the exam as you already received maximum grade for the whole course. If you received 4 or less, you can either a) accept this as your final grade or b) take the exam to try to improve your grade. However please note if you take the exam it will represent 50% of your grade, essay will represent 50%. The next chance to take the exam is this Friday 13.5.2011. If you are still working on your essay: The essay can be returned until 31.5.2011. In this case, you have two options: 1) write 8-10 pages and NOT take exam, or 2) write 5 pages and also take the exam. Again, apologies for the hassle! Please get in touch with me if you have any questions at kristiina.karvonen@hiit.fi

Course feedback questionaire is now open on page linked below. The feedback form is open 9.5.-3.6.2011. Giving feedback is compulsory in this course. It takes a few minutes to fill in the form. Please give concrete enhancements in the open questions. Thank you for your feedback!

Hi everyone, today is the essay deadline. However, if you need extension, please get in touch with me to negotiate. Good luck with finalising your essays! - Kristiina

Today we will hear from usable security work at F-Secure by Usability specialist Ville Nore at 14:15. Welcome!

Tero Jantunen's lecture slides on usable security at Stonesoft have been added to Noppa under the Lectures page.

Today we will have the chance to hear our guest lecturer Tero Jantunen from Stonesoft at 14:15 at T2. Tero will tell us what kind of usability challenges and work he has faced and managed at Stonesoft. Welcome!

I am so sorry but again I am ill and cannot lecture today due to severe migraine :((( I will make today's lecture available online later (TBA). The next lecture will be on 26.4.2011 and is given by Stonesoft and their work on making security usable. I apologize the lecture being during Easter-May 1st lecture-free week and hope many of you could still make it. The essay DL will be extended from 28.4. to 6.5.2011. Very sorry, Kristiina

Someone was earlier asking me about any studies on how users' psychological layout might affect their use of security. Now an interesting piece of news has just come out on a study investigating susceptibility to fall victim for phishing based on user habits that is relevant to this theme. Follow the link http://www.buffalo.edu/news/12457 to read more. The study will come out later in a journal on Decision Support Systems and Electronic Commerce, but the major findings by communication researchers from four different universities are nicely summarized here. Also Bruce Schneier, a renowned security expert has explored "The Psychology of Security" in his blog, available at http://www.schneier.com/essay-155.html

Hi all, unfortunately I am still ill. I will make today's lecture on Usability and authentication available as an online video asap (will be announced separately through news when available). I will also make the Security experience lecture available as an online lecture. Please note some changes have been made between the order of the remaining lectures (see Lectures) due to requests from the visiting lecturers. I have also made available the slides from Recommendations and reputation and by Kaarina Karppinen (available as pdf in the Lectures). Again, sorry for any inconvenience for late announcement - but these decisions are hard to make. I hope you can cope and please send me email if you have any questions or comments about the lecture series! BR Kristiina

I'm afraid I've fallen ill and just cannot make it today to give a lecture. I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused! I will try to incorporate the lecture on Security experience into the remaining lecture schedule in some way. Sorry and thanks for your understanding, Kristiina ps. I will be uploading the lecture slides from two previous lectures later today.

Today's lecture at 2:15PM at T2 will be given by Kaarina Karppinen from VTT on Usable security and cloud computing. Kaarina Karppinen is positioned as a Research Scientist in the Information Security Assurance Research Team at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in Oulu, Finland. She has experience in various information and network security research topics such as cloud security, network and information security testing and monitoring, middleware security, security in critical infrastructures, and role and identity management. She is currently working towards her PhD in the field of user perception of security in the cloud. Welcome!

Today's lecture is moved to Tuesday 29.3. because I am unfortunately ill. I also need to reschedule the lecture on 15.3. to 5.4. due to attending full-day training myself on the 15th. Sorry for any inconvenience caused!

Privacy lecture slides added under Lectures, date 8.2.2011. The slides include the lecture on privacy + some practical info and Q/A on the essays.

The final exam will be held on May 13, 2011 between 9-12 at computer class rooms Maari-B and Maari-E. This is an open-book exam with Internet access. Examples of old exams are available at the Old exams page.

Please select your essay topic by 8.2.2011 by sending an email to the lecturer with the topic. The topics can be found under Assignments and also under Trust lecture held 1.2.2011.

The course is lectured weekly (with some exceptions) on Tuesdays between January 18 and May 3, 2011. More information in Noppa.