| Semester 2, 2021 Toowoomba On-campus | |
| Short Description: | Cyber Security Architecture |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences |
| School or Department : | School of Sciences |
| Student contribution band : | Band 2 |
| ASCED code : | 020399 - Information Systems not elsewh |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Rationale
The heavy dependence that our economic and government structures have on cyber infrastructure makes them more likely to cyber attack and poses potential threats to infrastructural assets. As cyber threats are becoming more prevalent, so does the need to neutralise them. This course provides students with the fundamentals of cyber security including an over view of the current cyber landscapes, procedures and techniques used and emerging trends.
Synopsis
This course gives students key information regarding the design and management of ICT security within an organisation. Students will consider the fundamental nature of cyber security including protocols to maintain system integrity. The course explores the critical objectives of ICT security, relevant processes and practices and the level of success in achieving these objectives within Australia and world-wide.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- Analyse the key security objectives of an organisation.
- Provide a detailed explanation of the key security practices currently employed within an organisation, including the strengths and limitations of current cyber-security architecture practice and make recommendations to improve security based on emerging trends.
- Evaluate and compare the current cyber-security architecture landscape in Australia and other countries, cognisant of its importance, scale and impact.
- Define and give a detailed explanation of the range, objectives and techniques employed to undermine cyber security.
- Explore important examples where cyber-security is of critical importance and careful implementation of security practises aims to guarantee the integrity of key systems.
- Analyse the consequences of a cyber-security failure including the impact on stakeholders and the importance of a thorough investigation in order to improve future practices and protocols.
- Explain the special role of money in relation to information security management, and the consequences of this special role for cyber-security.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Analysis of organisational key security objectives | 15.00 |
| 2. | Methods and procedures for achieving security objectives | 15.00 |
| 3. | Current cyber-security practise in Australia and world-wide | 15.00 |
| 4. | Several examples of key objectives, practices designed to achieve them, and the record of their success are then considered: (I) web-service security, with particular emphasis on the use of certificates to guarantee integrity and authentication and encryption to enforce key cyber-security objectives; (ii) authentication: its role, implementation, and consequences of failure; (iii) privacy of user information; (iv) the management and risks of privileged access; (v) a server farm. | 20.00 |
| 5. | Understanding the enemy: who are the parties seeking to compromise security, what are their objectives? And how do they seek to achieve them? | 15.00 |
| 6. | The special role of money in cyber-security, and how financial transactions need to be managed to minimize the risk of fraud. | 10.00 |
| 7. | Cyber-security failure: both the importance of avoiding it, and how to manage failures when they occur. | 10.00 |
Text and Materials
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=02&subject1=CSC8100)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
There are no texts or materials required for this course.
Reference Materials
Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Student Workload Expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Assessments | 55.00 |
| Lectures | 26.00 |
| Practical Classes | 26.00 |
| Private Study | 58.00 |
Assessment Details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Objectives Assessed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 100 | 20 | 30 Jul 2021 | 1,2,3 | (see note 1) |
| Assignment 2 | 100 | 20 | 27 Aug 2021 | 1,2,3,4,5 | (see note 2) |
| Assignment 3 | 100 | 20 | 17 Sep 2021 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | (see note 3) |
| Open Examination - Online | 100 | 40 | End S2 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | (see note 4) |
Notes
- An example organisation will be analysed, and a report produced, including an analysis of its key stakeholders, the rules that must apply, for their participation, and a preliminary plan for how this can be achieved.
- A series of real-world examples are considered and analysed from the point of view of the methodology learnt up to now. Recommendations for cyber-security practices are to be provided.
- A scenario in which an organisation is successfully attacked is explored. A report is prepared which explains how to respond to the attack. The example considered includes financial misappropriation.
- This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via StudyDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them, to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative items for the course. -
Examination information:
An Online Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed, written, or online material as well as a calculator. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Deferred and Supplementary examinations will be held in accordance with the Assessment Procedure . -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment Notes
-
Referencing in assignments must comply with the Harvard (AGPS) referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (APGS) style to be used is defined by the USQ library’s referencing guide. This guide can be found at .