Module COMP3761: Applied Security

Department: Computer Science

COMP3761: Applied Security

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To introduce contemporary topics in cybersecurity
• To gain experience applying techniques in security analysis and testing

Content

• Human factors in cyber security (e.g., social engineering, attacker groups, security governance, use of AI agents).
• Advanced security techniques to assess and protect computer systems (e.g., binary exploitation, reverse engineering, systems security)
• Embedded & hardware security (e.g., device analysis, firmware analysis & extraction, side channels, ICS)
• Case-studies of complex real-world attacks (e.g., StuxNet).

Learning Outcomes

• Understanding of how human factors can be used to attack and protect systems.
• Understanding of how hardware and software systems can be attacked and protected.

• Ability to conduct the security assessment of a socio-cyber-physical system.
• Ability to propose relevant security controls and assess their impact.
• Ability to analyse previous and ongoing attacks against complex systems.

• An ability to communicate technical information
• Ability to effectively work in small groups
• Capacity for self-learning in familiar and unfamiliar situations

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

• Lectures provide the students with the theoretical background of the material, and aid understanding with examples.
• Workshops enable students to gain experience putting the concepts into practice and testing.
• The in-year tests assess the students’ application of methods and techniques.
• The assignment is undertaken in groups and consists of a written assignment supported by code or an equivalent output (e.g. experimental or mathematical results, security policies, etc.)

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Example formative exercises and an in-year test are given during the course.