Course Description
This unit will introduce the basic principles of security in digital systems - cyber security - explaining the role of cyber security in protecting digital systems, networks, software, and data from unauthorised access, theft, damage, or disruption. This unit will help learners to understand the nature of digital information and the importance of keeping information secure, as well as methods for doing so. As part of the unit, learners will develop an appreciation for the broad space of threats that cyber systems face, and will understand how these threats can be prevented, mitigated, and responded to with appropriate frameworks; practices and principles; and techniques such as encryption and hashing.
Course Objectives
This unit will introduce the basic principles of security in digital systems - cyber security - explaining the role of cyber security in protecting digital systems, networks, software, and data from unauthorised access, theft, damage, or disruption. This unit will help learners to understand the nature of digital information and the importance of keeping information secure, as well as methods for doing so. As part of the unit, learners will develop an appreciation for the broad space of threats that cyber systems face, and will understand how these threats can be prevented, mitigated, and responded to with appropriate frameworks; practices and principles; and techniques such as encryption and hashing.
Key Topics
- LO1: Understand the nature of information and what is meant by information privacy.
- LO2: Understand key concepts in information security, including threats and risks.
- LO3: Understand the importance of secure design in Cyber Security systems.
- LO4: Be able to apply cryptographic techniques to encrypt and decrypt information.
- LO5: Understand legal and societal issues concerning information security.
Course Outline
| Week | Topics |
|---|
| 1 | Information and its value; confidentiality, integrity and availability |
| 2 | Information privacy: what it is, why it matters and what happens when it is breached |
| 3 | Risks and threats: malware, ransomware, social engineering and phishing |
| 4 | Cyber security models and risk assessment: access control models, NIST, ISO/IEC 27001 and Zero Trust |
| 5 | Classes of vulnerability: human, software and hardware |
| 6 | Secure system design: least privilege, defence in depth and secure development |
| 7 | History of cryptography: Caesar ciphers, World War cryptographic development, modern cryptography |
| Midterm | Midterm evaluation |
| 9 | Encryption: symmetric (AES) and asymmetric (RSA) keys, data at rest and in transit |
| 10 | Practical lab: public and private keys, digital certificates and signatures, PKI, TPMs, HSMs and key management |
| 11 | The law and ethics: GDPR, Computer Misuse Act, Data Protection Act, ethical hacking and responsible disclosure |
| 12 | Applying Information Technology Security in practice: case studies |
| 13 | Assignment workshop: research, planning and referencing |
| 14 | Assignment workshop: drafting, feedback and improvement |
| 15 | Review and coursework completion |
| Final | Final assessment and submission |
Learning Outcomes
- LO1 Understand the nature of information and what is meant by information privacy.
- 1.1 Define information and give examples of information.
- 1.2 Explain what is meant by information privacy.
- 1.3 Analyse the value of information from contrasting perspectives.
- 1.4 Analyse the importance of information privacy and the potential consequences when information is not kept private.
- LO2 Understand key concepts in information security, including threats and risks.
- 2.1 Describe the common types of information security threats for modern computing systems.
- 2.2 Explain the Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA Triad) framework and its meaning in the context of information security.
- 2.3 Evaluate several key cyber security models and their focuses.
- 2.4 Analyse the role of risk management in identifying security threats and vulnerabilities.
- LO3 Understand the importance of secure design in Cyber Security systems.
- 3.1 Describe the classes of common vulnerabilities in software and hardware systems.
- 3.2 Explain the principles of secure design of cyber systems.
- 3.3 Analyse a range of strategies for implementing secure design to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks.
- LO4 Be able to apply cryptographic techniques to encrypt and decrypt information.
- 4.1 Describe key historic events leading up to the development of modern cryptographic techniques.
- 4.2 Outline basic illustrative cipher techniques.
- 4.3 Compare encryption to hashing.
- 4.4 Explain the value of cryptography for a range of cyber security applications.
- 4.5 Explain the basic mathematical principles underlying encryption.
- 4.6 Analyse a variety of encryption techniques.
- 4.7 Use software to implement public and private key encryption of information and network connections.
- LO5 Understand legal and societal issues concerning information security.
- 5.1 Explain the needs for legal and regulatory frameworks to govern Cyber Security and data protection.
- 5.2 Analyse the effectiveness of legal frameworks in ensuring information security.
- 5.3 Evaluate the trade-off between privacy and security in computer systems.
