Module COMP54515: Security Engineering and Cryptography

Department: Computer Science

COMP54515: Security Engineering and Cryptography

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To give students an in-depth understanding of the design and assessment of secure connected systems.

Content

• Themes will be chosen from the following:
• Principles of architecting a secure system
• Threat models and security assessment.
• Application and design of cryptographic systems.
• Principles of securing networks.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module, students will be able to demonstrate:
• an understanding of the core security principles
• an understanding of cryptographic primitives.
• an understanding of computer and network security, common attacks and appropriate countermeasures.

• By the end of this module, students should be able to demonstrate:
• an ability to critically analyse security measures and architectures.
• an ability to recognise comprehensive threat models and design security architectures accordingly.
• an ability to evaluate secure protocols.

• By the end of this module, students should be able to demonstrate:
• an ability to design and implement countermeasures against various attack scenarios.
• an ability to employ suitable cryptographic protocols to enforce secrecy, and integrity.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• A combination of lectures, computer classes, and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module.
• Independent study and suggested lists of articles and books enable students to develop and apply their knowledge to real-world problems.
• The summative assessment consists of a group work assignment where students design a secure connected application, followed by an individual assessment where each student assesses the security of applications designed by other groups and write an assessment report, thus testing students’ knowledge and critical understanding of the material covered in the module, their analytical and problem-solving skills and the practical implementation of the acquired knowledge.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Via computer classes.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University