Course Coordinator:Judith Watson (jwatson@usc.edu.au) School:School of Science, Technology and Engineering
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Securing data and cyber networks remains one of the most important aspects of modern computing. You will explore key cyber and information security theories, tools and practices including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and how cyber criminals target individuals and businesses, unlawfully seizing data and identities. You will also identify the dark markets where stolen data, identities and Intellectual Property is traded and how international law enforcement agencies operate to locate and prosecute cyber criminals.
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Blended learning | |||
Learning materials – Asynchronous learning material | 2hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus workshop | 2hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
Online | |||
Learning materials – Asynchronous learning material | 2hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online workshop | 2hrs | Week 1 | 13 times |
300 Level (Graduate)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
1 | Analyse the digital cybersecurity environment from the attacker's and defender's perspectives. | Knowledgeable |
2 | Explain the range of technical and human-based threats impacting individuals and organisations, and the controls and policies needed to secure against or mitigate them. |
Knowledgeable Empowered |
3 | Rationalise the human and technical vulnerabilities in cyber and information security to understand human reasoning and prevent further attacks. | Creative and critical thinker |
4 | Justify cyber security and governance practices to manage key cyber scurity risks to an organisation | Empowered |
5 | Communicate cyber security principles and applications to a variety of technical and non-technical audiences. | Engaged |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
ICT220
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
On-going formative feedback will be provided in workshops throughout the course.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1 | Portfolio | Individual | 40% | Approximately 1,500 words (5 tasks each worth 8 points) |
Week 6 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 2 | Case Study | Group | 30% | 2,000 word |
Week 9 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 3 | Written Piece | Individual or Group | 30% | 2,500 words equivalent |
Week 13 | Online Submission |
All - Assessment Task 1:Weekly Canvas Evaluation | ||||||||||
Goal: | The goal of this assessment is measure your understanding and comprehension of the Canvas material presented during the week. The tasks may also measure your basic network security knowledge and understanding of cybersecurity principles. |
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Product: | Portfolio | |||||||||
Format: | Students will complete quizzes and answer questions related to the Canvas material |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
All - Assessment Task 2:Force on Force Attack and Defend Network Scenario | ||||||||||||||||
Goal: | This task will enable the student to identify and articulate technical and human factors attack strategies and methodologies in written format given a scenario of how a notional company operates. |
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Product: | Case Study | |||||||||||||||
Format: | You will prepare a written report which will identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the protected network of a notional company and how those weaknesses may be exploited by an attacker. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
All - Assessment Task 3:Capture the Flag and Castle Defence | ||||||||||||||||
Goal: | Students will design a defensive or attack strategy for a notional company and present their plan in both a written report and present as a group. |
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Product: | Written Piece | |||||||||||||||
Format: | Given a scenario describing the cybersecurity posture of a notional company, and building on the report they submitted in task 2, students will submit a written plan to attack or defend a protected network. Students will then present their plan to instructors. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
Recommended | Christopher Hadnagy | 2018 | Social Engineering | n/a | John Wiley & Sons |
Required | William Stallings,Lawrie Brown | 2017 | Computer Security | n/a | Pearson Higher Education |
This course requires access to computers and specialised software which is provided at USC campuses for student use. If you elect to do this course online, you may either; attend a campus at which it is available, discuss alternative solutions with your course coordinator that would enable you to demonstrate the learning outcomes, or if you prefer you may acquire this software (if necessary at your own expense). Some software providers may offer discounted or free academic licensing.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
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For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.
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