Integrating computer security into the undergraduate software engineering classes: Lessons learned

We present our initial findings from our attempts to integrate computer security topics in our undergraduate software engineering courses. Previously, both computer security and software engineering were taught separately, with very little integration between the two. However, this could result in non-functional requirements such as security becoming low priority for students when learning software engineering. Our attempt to integrate computer security into the software engineering course have shown that students benefit when these topics are presented side-by-side, together with practical examples of how to identify and address common security risks.