CMIT 320: Network Security

CMIT 320 is UMGC's core undergraduate course in computer and network security fundamentals, and the gateway to its ethical hacking course.

UMGC describes it as a study of the fundamental concepts of computer security and its implementation. The aim is to assess and mitigate risk, evaluate and select appropriate technologies, and apply proper security safeguards. The course is designed to help prepare for the CompTIA Security+ exam.

Students often find the breadth hard: cryptography, identity, networks, threats and policy all appear. The common thread is risk, and answers that keep returning to it tend to be the strongest.

What CMIT 320 Covers

• Risk: identifying threats and vulnerabilities and choosing responses.
• Security technologies: firewalls, intrusion detection, VPNs, endpoint protection.
• Cryptography: encryption, hashing and certificates.
• Identity and access: authentication, authorization and MFA.
• Safeguards: technical, administrative and physical controls.

Key Concepts Explained

The CIA Triad

Confidentiality, integrity and availability are the three goals of security. Most controls protect one or more of them, and good answers name which.

Symmetric Versus Asymmetric Encryption

Symmetric encryption uses one shared key and is fast, suited to bulk data. Asymmetric encryption uses a public and private key pair, solving key exchange and enabling digital signatures. HTTPS uses both: asymmetric to agree a key, symmetric for the session.

Risk Response Options

Risks can be mitigated (reduced with controls), transferred (for example, through insurance), avoided (stop the activity) or accepted. Choosing among them depends on cost, likelihood and impact.

Authentication Factors

Authentication relies on something you know (a password), something you have (a phone or security key) or something you are (a fingerprint). Multi-factor authentication combines different categories, so two passwords do not count. Phishing-resistant methods such as hardware security keys are stronger than codes sent by text message, a distinction that often appears in scenario questions about protecting remote access.

Common Threats and Matching Controls

Security+ style questions often describe an attack and ask for the best control. A threat-to-control table is a useful revision tool:

In assignments, go one step further: explain why the control fits that organization and what risk remains afterwards.

Evaluating and Selecting Technologies

UMGC's aim includes evaluating and selecting appropriate technologies. In assignments, that means comparing options against the scenario, not listing features. A short comparison table works well:

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Where Students Get Stuck

• Acronym overload. Security+ material is dense with acronyms; learn them in context.
• Tool lists instead of reasoning. Explain why a control fits the risk.
• Ignoring people and policy. Administrative controls matter as much as technical ones.
• Crypto confusion. Hashing is not encryption; it cannot be reversed.

Study Tips for CMIT 320

• Organize notes by the CIA triad and by control type.
• Read the current Security+ exam objectives for scope.
• Follow a reputable security news source for real examples.
• Explain each lab result in one sentence before moving on.

How We Help with CMIT 320

Send the scenario, lab instructions, rubric and your work. A security tutor can explain concepts, prepare a model risk assessment or plan, or review your report for accuracy and APA style. For scenario-based writing, see our case study writing guide.

GradeEssays is independent of the University of Maryland Global Campus and CompTIA. We provide tutoring and models; we never take quizzes or exams, sit certifications, or log in to your classroom or labs.