He is a great teacher and always ready to help you. The assignments will be tough if you have no previous experience in the Security field but if you ask a question he will guide you through the solutions.

If you have even a remote interest in cybersecurity you need to take this class with him. It's gonna be tough but you'll learn so much along the way and Kaan is a chill guy, so he'll always help you. There really isn't any book that'll teach you this stuff. You'll struggle through the challenges, but the high after solving them is worth it.

Very interesting and fun challenges

Fantastically designed the class with applicable challenges as hw. Very accessible outside of the class for hw help. 10/10 would take again.

Out of all professors I have had at Northeastern University, Kaan has been THE BEST professor. He is extremely knowledgeable and translates complicated topics into understandable lectures. His assignments provide practical experience in exploitation and are also fun/engaging :)

CY3740 was one of the most entertaining classes I've ever taken. Kaan lectures on interesting topics and the challenges he creates are awesome. No doubt, Kaan's challenges will make you struggle and feel frustrated, but they are so well crafted that the sense of satisfaction you feel after completion is unlike anything.

This is probably one of the best classes I've ever taken, and Kaan is a major reason for that. If you like solving puzzles/challenges at all, you have to take this class. The homeworks in this class are pretty much "here's what you have to break, here's some hints, go", and they're incredibly fun. Plus, Kaan's always there to help if you get stuck.

If you are remotely interested in Security, take this class. Kaan is a great guy, and the challenges are by far the best part of it all.

Great real-world experience, hugely accessible and helpful.

Kaan is easily the best professor I have ever had at Northeastern. Great lectures, great challenges, and very accessible outside of class. I learned more from him and his class than every other class here combined. If you can take CY3740 for CY5770 with him, do it!

One of the best classes I have ever taken at Northeastern, Cant find anyone better at teaching security than him!

Hey Folks, So if you are here, That means you are in dilemma to take this course? I am a student who took this course with the same dilemma and you know what? This is one of the greatest dilemma decisions of my life which yielded astonishing results. Go for it. You will love what you are doing. This is the real world, real challenges. GOAT!

Coming from a Game Dev background, I was shown how beautiful security is and absolutely loved every challenge and especially the fact where we having to be self disciplined as there were only 2 deadlines.

This is a great class and you will learn a lot, but you need to do the work. There's no way to bullshit the assignments for partial credit, you need to commit to figuring them out start to finish. Lectures cover a lot of in-depth technical material useful for security career. Tons of opportunities for extra credit for those who want it.

Incredibly interesting and challenging course. I really enjoyed this class and I learned a lot

A great course with a well-rounded syllabus and amazing lectures. Professor's delivery and explanations ensure that you understand the content from the ground up. The exams and assignments are fun and practically applicable in the real world. I feel better prepared to enter the world of security after this course. Would definitely recommend it!

Extremely effective lectures and assignments. Everything is usable in the real-world and the grading is based on whether you do the assignment or not. No scores, no partial credit. You either did the assignment or you didn't. The professor is super accessible if you need help and will generally respond quite quickly to questions.

Kaan is very likely one of the best professors at Northeastern. He's *extremely* skilled and *very* accessible after class. I'd highly recommend taking his class if you have the chance, even if it's at night (don't worry: the class almost never ran more than 2-2.5 hours). The challenges can be difficult; but it is definitely worth the experience.

This was honestly one of the most difficult classes I've taken. I spent a lot of late nights thinking about buffer overflows and cross site scripting. Nonetheless, I found that I've also learned so much from Kaan's class. He's incredibly knowledgeable, charming, and one of the most caring professors I have met. Also he's simply a security wizard.

Kaan is an absolute legend, and this course might be the best one I've taken at Northeastern so far. The challenges are somewhat difficult with no prior experience, but he's super responsive online and has office hours after class--if you get stuck somewhere, you aren't left to bang your head against a wall. 10/10, take this class if you can!

He's an amazing professor. He is also one of the best researchers in security, just look up his google scholar. You will learn a lot in this course.

Kaan was an admirable professor, not only is he extremely knowledgeable about this field, he wants us to succeed as long as you put in the work. This is a very challenging class in terms of the homework "challenges" that are given to us, but I promise you will have a clear understanding of certain security aspects after this course. 11/10 recommend

Kaan is really great. He is knowledgeable, really funny, and is always trying to make himself available. He responds on Piazza fairly quickly and gets grades back usually by the next class. Kaan has no problem being real about his opinions and is always trying to educate on past security issues that we should learn from.

Kaan is extremely knowledgeable about security and is a very engaging lecturer. Lectures are very informative and the slide decks are great. Challenges are somewhat difficult but definitely a lot of fun.

CY3740 was an indispensable course that gave me a well-structured and fundamental understanding of system security. Kaan is funny and entertaining in class and always ready to answer questions for his students. He always finds a way to hold the student's attention. In other classes, I would be distracted, but never in kaan's class.

Every student who has the chance to take syssec with Kaan should. Best class I've taken at Northeastern. Homeworks and challenges were fun and addictive. You learn a lot too. Kaan puts a lot of effort and passion into the class, and it shows.

Kaan is an amazing lecturer, knows his stuff, and cares about students. The lectures teach concepts and a security mindset, while the challenges (homework) are fun and teach practical skills. Grading is straightforward and fair. Kaan made an entire Arch Linux lab environment for this class, which should say enough about how much effort he puts in.

Kaan is a security guru we all wish we had lol. His teaching style is spot-on, making cybersecurity a breeze. The challenges? Intuitively fun! His cutting-edge research and legendary stories are just the icing on the cake!

For a three month course, the structure was perfect to go over a wide variety of system security topics. Anyone even remotely interested in software security should take Kaan's class. His commitment to the course, engaging lectures, availability outside of class hours are second to none. Challenges simulate real world attacks and are super fun!

Professor Kaan excels in teaching, crafting real-world-aligned assignments, and fostering accessibility through Piazza. His support and mentorship leave a transformative impact on student's academic journeys. A true beacon of excellence in education. I wish I had taken his class earlier during my master's program.

Hands down!! The best course I have ever taken in academia. The course structure is brilliant and you will get addicted to challenges(you get to see your number on class rankings website in real-time :) ). Great piazza and one to one support. Extra credits saved the day. The stories/memes are great too. Salute Kaan!

Kaan might be the best professor I've ever had. His subject matter expertise is inspiring, he gives detailed information in lectures, and he cares so much about the topic that he set up his own hacking lab for students to exploit vulnerabilities. This was the most demanding class I've taken at NU; it was well-worth the challenge. Take his class.

Coolest professor you'll ever meet, if you are given the choice to take only one security class in your life, BLINDLY GO FOR THIS CLASS !

Professor Kaan's lectures are amazing, he provides extra support to understand the concepts. His lectures are super intense and funny at the same time. His classes are worth your time and money :) In short he is the CoOlEsT and BeSt teacher I have ever had!! If you have a chance to take his class, without a doubt TAKE IT!!

Class was very fun and interesting. Homework is hard. Require shell bash scripting, but it is easy to learn. Exams are in person and written. Bonus points available to help with low exam scores. Office hours are extremely helpful. Only recommend this to student that wants a challenge and is confident in their CS knowledge/finesse.

Interesting, fun and challenging class. As a CS major this was the first security class I enjoyed. Lectures are well planned and entertaining. Homework is time consuming but you gain experience using real world attacks.

Kaan is extremely passionate about the course material and teaching his students. Without a doubt, this was both my favorite class I've taken at Northeastern, measured by my ability to retain focus in and out of class, and most rewarding. The challenges will push your understanding of the course material to the next level, in a gamified fun way.

One of the best courses I have taken at Northeastern. I learnt so much from this class, and the 3-hour lecture per week goes like a breeze. I always look forward to what is to come next week. The content is hard for someone like me who has no prior exposure to security, but the support to successfully complete the course is impeccable.

Syssec will be the best cybersecurity class you take at Northeastern. Not only is Kaan an amazing lecturer--complete with anime references and top-tier memes littered throughout his slides--but his assignments are second to none. His CTF homeworks are a blast and he and the TAs are always available outside of class for assistance (even at 4am).

Absolutely one of the best profs at Northeastern. Weekly lectures are fast paced and intense, but the material is presented incredibly clearly and Kaan is always willing to slow down for tricky concepts. The CTF-style homeworks are super fun and a great training ground for your technical skills, and the exams are great too! Expect to learn a ton.

Kaan is an amazing lecturer. He will keep you engaged with his enthusiasm and the occasional funny slides that pops up. He explains things very well and is very understandable. His course is also very hands-on while also balancing it with theory side. All in all, I really enjoyed this class and I learned a lot from it. Would take again!

Kaan is a great lecturer and his homeworks are difficult but enjoyable. Also, there is office hours every week and constant support on Piazza so you are not alone at all, you will have plenty of help if you need it. If you have an interest in security at all, take this class, it's the best one I have taken at Northeastern and I have learned a ton.

Kaan is an amazing professor. I struggled but I learnt a lot and did things I didn't think I could do. 11/10 would recommend. Everyone needs to take this course under Kaan.

I was told this before taking the class, and now I'll point out the same: It's the best class and instructor! I guarantee you will learn a lot. The assignments are challenging, but the feeling of achievement is priceless when you solve them. If you're not sure about your technical background, you better take this class alone just to fully enjoy it.

Kaan was the most prepared educator I've ever had. The challenge environment, concepts, and application of these concepts to real world scenarios tied together seamlessly. Have a question at 3am? Kaan's responding immediately. This is not an easy course, but I've gained more knowledge that I can apply to future work than from any other I've taken

Loved the lectures and the many challenges.

Prof. Onarlioglu's assignments are very fun and effective for learning practical skills. Lectures were well-organized and he was highly knowledgeable in all the content. He was very responsive and made sure support was always available outside of class (even answering questions at 4am). Overall, a funny and amazing professor that I highly recommend

Professor covers all important topics and ensures the lectures are interesting. The challenges are fun and tests the understanding of fundamentals thoroughly.

Kaan's class is certainly the most unique I've ever taken. Incredible teacher who knows his stuff thoroughly and cares deeply for students if you're willing to put in the effort.

This class was tough and challenges could take quite a bit to complete, but it was very intellectually challenging and Kaan equipped you with all you needed to solve them, given that you put some creativity into it. Very caring professor who wants to see his student succeed, and I'm glad I got to take this course!

Kaan's curriculum is awesome. Even as someone who enjoys security and regularly explores advanced topics, I still learned a lot from his class. Challenges are unique, fair, and engaging. They were by far the most fun homework I've ever done in my life. If you can figure things out and deliver results, you'll have no problem getting an A.

If you're unsure about taking this class, take it. Kaan is one of my favorite Professors. He's highly knowledgeable and has years of experience in his field. CS3740 is uniquely structured, with most of your grade based on hands-on CTFs that expose you to real-world online threats. Kaan genuinely enjoys teaching and wants the best for his students.

Kaan is a very engaging professor for such a boring time slot

Show up to class. I loved taking this class and doing his challenges. Lots of fun and so much learned. Highly recommend.

Spent by far the most hours working on his homework out of the 4 classes I took this semester. However this was by far the best and most rewarding hours spent. His challenges/homeworks are always hard but relevant and fun. This class rewards you for your effort, if you take it be ready to give it your all. -86

This class is the best I've taken so far. Kaan is an excellent lecturer who keeps us engaged even during the late sessions that run until 9pm. The challenges are the highlight though - each one is intellectually stimulating and genuinely fun to solve. However, be prepared to spend lots of time on challenges! I can't recommend this class enough. -68

Kaan does what I have not seen before in other professors: keeping a 2-3 hour long lecture engaging, fun, and meaningful. Nearly every lecture is grouped together with a live demonstration of how to apply the concepts covered on the slides. These demonstrations often give pointers on where to start on challenges, giving some starting direction. -44

Best course this college

Had a wonderful experience taking this class as CS major, by far the most I've learned in a NEU course. Couldn't have asked for a more amazing prof - Kaan is patient, inspirational, extremely knowledgeable, caring, and approachable. Lectures (theory, research, and demos) and challenges (hands-on, DIY) complement each other perfectly.

Amazing professor -- class is difficult but well worth the effort needed. Would recommend taking even if you are not necessarily interested in security as the course touches many core topics in CS such as networking, distributed systems, compilers, operating systems, and more. Challenges are fun and there is lots to learn from them

Before this class started I really wanted to be the first one to give him a bad review on this site but I literally just cannot do that. Fair play to the guy, he's an amazing teacher and I've never learned more than I have in this class.

Best professor by far. Almost failed just to take again. First and only CS class I feel I have learned relevant material in.

Kaan is fantastic, it is obvious he cares deeply about the material. The class is tough, but lots of help is available.

Kaan says he tries to teach everything about security in 4 months, and he really does. He brings years of experiences to the classroom and is passionate, knowledgeable, and invested in the topics of this class and the future of the students taking it. This is easily my favorite class, and I would've regretted not taking it before I graduated.

Kaan is an incredible professor. If you want to get into security, you have to take this class. He goes over all the fundamentals and is also a engaging professor. The homeworks are hands on CTF-style challenges, while the tests are more conceptual. Overall 10/10 class.

By far the most engaging lecturer and most fun and educational class I have ever taken at Northeastern. In no other class have I ever felt this challenged and rewarded, Kaan really pushes his students to learn in so many different ways, and I feel so much more confident in all my cybersecurity skills. Super funny guy, just wish he had his beard :(.

I've said this too many of my friends, "Kaan is the best professor I have ever had." I don't think a second of my time taking this course was wasted, "challenges" (hw, CTF style) are super helpful in applying your learning from class (with a little learning left for outside of class). Exams were like 70% understanding hw, and going to lecture.

Easily one of the best classes I have taken at Northeastern. It was definitely difficult and time consuming sometimes, but incredibly rewarding. One of the few classes where I genuinely felt like I learned a lot. Kaan is an incredible professor. He's funny, engaging, and just brings a lot of enthusiasm to class which makes it worthwhile.

Kaan did a great job at keeping the class engaged, using real world examples to explain the content. He uses his work experience to give us motivation behind the content and activities in class. Kaan also did many in class demos and examples to show us how to complete our CTF's. The coursework was very rewarding, and Kaan was a fair grader.

The most rewarding class I took at Northeastern. It was super difficult, but once you solved the challenges, it felt so satisfying. Khan put a lot of work into the structure of the class and it just shows. Kahn was a big part of how great this class was set up and I wouldn't have enjoyed the class as I strongly do if he wasn't the professor.

It's tough enough to make you question choices, but interesting enough not to skip it.

He is truly one of a kind—extremely knowledgable. Classes are fun. I learned a lot about cybersecurity throughout my degree, but I truly understood concepts when Kaan taught it. Some technical challenges he designs are tough but rewarding; builds technical confidence. Kaan gives his absolute best & his dedication to teaching is inspiring.

Kaan is the best!!! He is one of the best professors I've ever had. He explains complex cybersecurity concepts in ways that actually make sense, and his lectures are engaging and well organized. The assignments are challenging but fair and help build real-world skills. If you get a chance to take his class, do it!! you won't regret it!

If you have a chance to take a course under Kaan, just go for it. Keep in mind though, you need a certain level of C and Linux knowledge. If you have got the prerequisite knowledge, go for it probably gonna be the best course you have done in your program.

One of the most valuable classes I've taken at Northeastern. It was definitely challenging and at times demanding, but the experience was more than worth it. Kaan is one of the best professors I have ever had.

One of the best professors I've ever had. I recommend anyone who has a background in software security to take CY 5770 with Kaan. It was a difficult class, but it's a class I got the most learning out of. He pushes you to be a top-tier problem solver using the material you've learned in class, and organizes the class material extremely well.

Kaan is one of the best professors I've had. CY 5770 is tough but incredibly rewarding, especially for those with a good C programming and Linux background. He pushes you to apply concepts creatively and organizes the material brilliantly.

Kaan keeps challenges fresh and engaging. He's very approachable and gives you enough help where you can move past walls in the homework but still feel like you learned something. He helps you learn both technical and problem solving skills very well and rewards high performance.

Easily one of the best courses all time.

Probably the best professor most people will have at Northeastern, and easily the most effort any of my professors have put into a class.

Class can definitely be difficult at times but it is so worth it, every challenge is truly a learning opportunity. Kaan cares a lot about student success and you come out of class feeling like a 1337 hacker with all your new knowledge ;)

Kaan has been the best professor I have had the pleasure listening to at Northeastern. He's incredibly personable but also a master at his craft. This is the one course I can comfortably say is worth the however many thousand dollars each class at Northeastern costs. You will be leaving lecture every week with ACTUAL practical skills. 11/10

Kaan is the kind of professor you actually want to get. This has been the most valuable class ive taken at northeastern content wise, and kaan does it best. Each lecture is entertaining and relates directly to assignments. As long as you go to class you will be fine for the midterm and final. Challenges can be difficult but very valuable.

The best class I've ever taken! I gained a lot from every single session. Also, the teaching style is engaging and fun, and relevant to real life. The assignments are definitely challenging. But, if you attend the office hours, Kaan always gives just the right amount of guidance to help you solve it.

Kaan's class was extremely rewarding. It is important that lectures are attended as he does give live demos of things that you just can't really get on your own, but it's not graded on whether you go. The challenges he provides are genuinely tough but definitely not impossible especially given the support you can get from him and the TAs.

The most helpful class I've taken at Northeastern. Kaan's lectures were very helpful and engaging and the topics discussed in class are very interesting and insightful. The coursework can be challenging, however the support from himself and the TAs was incredible.

I literally never use RateMyProfessor but it would be criminal not to praise Kaan. If you are thinking about taking this course, do it. Even if you aren't pursuing a career in security. Kaan is an expert at making you address your weaknesses in the material without making you feel bad about yourself. You WILL learn a ton-- challenging but rewarding