CIS/CSE 774   -   Fall 2009

Information about Exam 1

  • When: Tuesday, October 13 in class.
  • How: Open book, open papers, open notes, closed friends.

  • Coverage:
  • Access-control logic, including:
  • Principal expressions: simple principal names, plus compound principals P&Q, P|Q
  • Statements of the logic, including: P says phi, P => Q, P controls phi
  • Semantics of the logic, using Kripke structures
  • Inference rules of the logic
  • Formal proofs *in* the logic
  • Meta proofs *about* the logic (e.g., soundness proofs)
  • Short version: everything through HW 4

    • Types of Questions You Should Expect

    Note: I don't promise to ask only the following sorts of questions. However, if you can answer these sorts of questions, you should be in good shape.

  • When given a Kripke structure, you should be able to determine the beliefs of principals (simple and compound) in various worlds and whether or not one principal speaks for another.
  • When given a formula in the access-control logic, you should be able to give a Kripke structure (with non-empty W, I and J) that satisfies (i.e., models) it. Likewise, you should be able to give a Kripke structure that does not satisfy it.
  • When given an axiom or inference rule in the access-control logic, you should be able to prove its soundness in the underlying Kripke model.
  • When given a proposed axiom or inference rule that is not sound, you should be able to construct a particular Kripke structure and instance of the rule that demonstrates its lack of soundness.
  • When given a set of assumptions and a security goal to prove, you should be able to prove, using formal inference rules, if the security goal is true or not.

    • For some practice

    Last year's exam, and some sample solutions

    The Aftermath:

    The exam itself, plus sample solutions

    Last modified: Wed 14 Oct 2009
    Susan Older / sueo@ecs.syr.edu