This module is offered in 2023-24.

Aims

The aims of this module are:

  • To give a broad understanding of the field of Computer Security, including current commercial and financial security issues and areas of concern.
  • To discuss and analyse current events in the security domain.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the student should:

  • Have acquired knowledge of a representative sample of security threats, issues, technologies and theories.
  • Be aware of threats through social media and how this impinges on computer and human security.
  • Be aware of the variety of problems affecting system and people centred security.
  • Know who the current leaders are in the field of Computer Security, the current trends and latest issues.
  • Be aware of security standards and industrial concerns.
  • Be aware of and able to use useable software to defend a system, databases of threats and monitors.
  • Understand cryptographic and network protocols and be able to use some in experimental work.
  • Understand certification protocols and the issues of protection gained or assumed by using protocols.
  • Have acquired skills giving a framework for analysing the security of a system or design.
  • Have acquired knowledge of a representative sample of security technologies.
  • Be aware of legal and social contexts where they impinge on computer security.
  • Be aware of software to aid defence of a system
  • Be aware of threats and where to get information on those threats
  • Understand the complexity of systems and the need for tiered defence
  • Be able to defend a system.
  • Understand certification, protocols, cryptography basics, access control and authentication.

Syllabus

  • Authorisation and authentication, vulnerabilities and threats; Internet security; firewalls, intrusion detection, malicious code and countermeasures; information hiding; stream and block ciphers; symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic protocols; digital signatures, public key infrastructures, certification authorities; security engineering, risk models, robustness, legal and organisational aspects of computer security; legal and international aspects; biometrics and current issues in the press.

Compulsory Elements

This module has no compulsory elements beyond those common to all modules (mark of 4 in each assessment component).

Module Delivery

Module Coordinator

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Last Published: 11 Mar 2024.