Bachelor of Cyber Security (VIC, NSW, QLD and WA Only)

This subject provides students with an introduction to communications in a business environment. An essential skill of any successful professional in today’s competitive business environment is the ability to communicate: to understand and be understood, both within the organisation and externally with suppliers, customers and a range of stakeholders.

Business organisations today are seeking well-rounded employees who can demonstrate strong communication skills across a range of mediums. This is particularly true across the areas of international business, enterprise management systems and cyber security.

Throughout this subject, students develop their ability to identify, gather and present information in a range of oral, written and visual contexts, using digital and non-digital channels. There is a focus on mobile communication and its effect on contemporary business practices with students exploring how globalisation and social media are changing business communication.

The subject concludes with students examining some of the emerging technologies that have the potential to reshape business communication in the near future.

Assessment Tasks:
Presentations, Written Reports, Group Oral Presentation

The subject provides students with a background on data analysis techniques and statistical concepts. It explores various methods of data collection and sampling with an emphasis on the question of data quality. It examines graphical and numerical statistical methods and introduces concepts such as probabilities, models, distributions, inference, Bayesian statistics, estimation, and hypothesis testing.

Besides the direct benefit of mastering basic statistical notions and techniques, the unit also provides a foundation to tackle data analytics and artificial intelligence concepts, which are playing an increasingly important role in areas such as international business, enterprise management systems and cyber security.

This subject relies on a hands-on approach and involves the use of dedicated computer software to analyse data coming from different fields and involved in various scenarios. Throughout the unit, students are prompted to critically assess the pertinence of the methods used.

Assessments Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Data Analysis Assignment

This subject provides a holistic approach to cyber security. After discussing the threat landscape, including common cyber threats as well as cybercriminal categories and motivations, it examines the devastating impact that cybercrime can have on individuals and organisations through case studies.

Cyber hygiene and organisational security principles are then introduced to help individuals and businesses remain safe in the digital world. The unit concludes by addressing cybersecurity governance.

It presents various risk assessment methodologies, risk management frameworks, mitigation strategies as well as the ethical and legal aspects of cyber security.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Cyber Hygiene Project, Final Examination

This subject introduces programming using Python. It discusses fundamental programming concepts such as variables, functions, recursion, data structures, and objects in an interactive way, using Jupyter Notebook.

Each week, students further develop their problem-solving skills and algorithmic capabilities. They do so by tackling practical issues, many of them relevant to cyber security and implementing their approach in a Python program.

The importance of ethics and sound software engineering practices, in particular documentation, testing and debugging are continuously reinforced throughout the entire unit.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Programming Assignments, Practical Examination

This subject provides students with essential data communications and networking concepts. Students develop a sound foundation for each layer of the OSI model, including their architecture, workflow, properties, purpose, and functions.

They also explore the principles and mechanisms required to transmit data across a network starting from the physical layer, all the way to the top, the software platform.

They examine the workflow executed during this transmission, implement and configure various network protocols within a simulated environment using industry-known networking tools.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Practical Assignments, Final Examination

This subject introduces students to the fundamental principles of database systems, including how organisations structure and manage corporate information within the data processing lifecycle.

Students translate business requirements into conceptual data models using data modelling tools and techniques, which are then transformed into relational databases, applying normalisation techniques.

Students manipulate data and logical structures in a relational database management system using SQL, a domain-specific query language. The concepts and issues related to contemporary database technologies with their applications and information security are also examined to underpin current industry practices.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Data Modelling and SQL Assignment, Practical Examination

Students must pick two of the following electives as part of their level 100 studies:

BUS100 Accounting for Business
BUS101 Business Information Systems
BUS102 Introduction to Enterprise Management Systems
BUS103 Introduction to International Business
BUS104 Business Marketing
MGT101 Operations and Logistics Management

Students must pick two of the following electives as part of their level 100 studies:

BUS100 Accounting for Business
BUS101 Business Information Systems
BUS102 Introduction to Enterprise Management Systems
BUS103 Introduction to International Business
BUS104 Business Marketing
MGT101 Operations and Logistics Management

This subject introduces students to the fundamental concepts underlying data analytics and Big Data. Students build a solid foundation in various frameworks, techniques and tools to perform descriptive, and more importantly predictive modelling.

The subject also addresses the crucial question of business reporting with an emphasis on visualisation techniques.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Case Study, Final Examination

This subject provides students with the necessary background to understand modern cryptographic primitives such as hash functions, symmetric-key ciphers, public-key cryptography, and digital signatures.

It tackles elementary cryptanalysis techniques before addressing protocols such as key exchange, key management, secret sharing, zero knowledge proof, etc.

Students then learn how these primitives and protocols are used in concrete applications such as data protection, identity management, access control, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, electronic voting, etc.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Catch the Flag Assignment, Practical Examination

This subject further develops the student’s knowledge and programming skills by exposing them to a new language (Rust), while focusing on security issues.

It investigates real-life examples where the exploitation of software vulnerabilities has led to resounding disasters. The unit also addresses common software vulnerabilities, as well as the techniques and tools to detect and fix them.

The subject then moves to best practices regarding the software development life cycle, introducing DevSecOps and insisting on the critical importance of integrating security concerns at each stage of the process.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Group Programming Assignments, Practical Examination

This subject builds on networking essentials to provide students with the knowledge and skills required for network security, including wireless networks, as well as web security.

It focuses on specific threats, common vulnerabilities and the risks that they create in the context of interconnected computing devices.

It addresses a range of strategies, techniques and tools to mitigate those risks, such as firewalls, VPN, Access Control List (ACL), zero trust, end-point security, etc. It also tackles the deployment of a simple Intrusion Detection System (IDS) through the network.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Networking Group Assignments, Practical Examination

This subject introduces cloud computing with an emphasis on cloud security. It covers the foundations of cloud computing, including distributed systems, concurrency and virtualisation, before addressing the different models, architectures and technologies involved in cloud computing.

The subject focuses next on important operations and practicals: data migration, identity and access management, etc.

The final part is entirely dedicated to cloud security, taking into account governance aspects, guidelines and standards, as well as technical elements to address vulnerabilities, data security and privacy risks in the cloud.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Consultancy Report, Final Examination

This subject provides students with an extensive theoretical and cross-disciplinary background in cyber security, specifically in the areas of crime, ethics and regulations.

It presents the transnational nature of cybercrime and students explore how national laws, regulations and international treaties help deal with cybercrime in cyberspace.

This subject prompts students to evaluate the effectiveness of these cyber laws against cybercrime in an attempt to bring cybercriminals to justice.

Finally, students examine cybersecurity issues and emerging global technologies within a business context through the lens of ethical and legal considerations.

Assessment Tasks:
Student engagement, Tests, Legal group report, Final examination

Students choose two of the following electives as part of their level 200 studies:

BUS203 Business Process Management
BUS205 Research Methods
MGT201 International Law and Politics
MGT202 International Strategic Management
MGT203 Production and Service Delivery Systems
MGT204 Inventory and Asset Management Systems
MGT205 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
MGT206 Business Law
MGT208 Organisational Behaviour and Change

Students choose two of the following electives as part of their level 200 studies:

BUS203 Business Process Management
BUS205 Research Methods
MGT201 International Law and Politics
MGT202 International Strategic Management
MGT203 Production and Service Delivery Systems
MGT204 Inventory and Asset Management Systems
MGT205 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
MGT206 Business Law
MGT208 Organisational Behaviour and Change

This subject provides an introduction to digital forensics processes, methods, techniques and tools.

The first part focuses on understanding the profession, the ethical requirements and the processes used to maintain the chain of custody.

The second part deals with the technical side of digital forensics, including how to acquire and recover data from a variety of sources.

The last part is dedicated to analysing and reporting evidence in a professional manner, for instance as an expert witness.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Data Recovery Assignment, Final Examination

This subject explores the concepts, tools and techniques for securing Cyber Physical Systems and IoT devices.

With the convergence of information technology and operational technology, the rapid growth, and the pervasive role of smart objects, security must be at the forefront of the mind when designing and implementing solutions.

This subject addresses all the elements necessary to create smart and secure connected objects: architecture, protocols, threats, vulnerabilities, and risks as well as the controls and countermeasures that can be applied to mitigate those risks.

This subject provides many examples such as automated vehicles, smart homes, smart cities, industrial controls and wearables.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, IoT Implementation Project, Security Evaluation Report, Final Examination

This subject provides an introduction to penetration testing also known as ethical hacking. Ethics and ethical behaviour play a central role.

Indeed, during the course of this subject, students gain the knowledge and hacking skills required to systematically search for potential vulnerabilities in software, protocols and systems.

Students are also taught how to report those vulnerabilities so that they can be fixed. As such, communication also plays a crucial role in this unit.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, First CTF, Group CTF, Research and Presentation, Final CTF

This subject provides a practical approach to security operations. It covers three main areas.

First, security architecture (seen as integrated into the overall Enterprise Architecture) addresses authentication, authorisation and access control models as well as security and privacy by design.

Second, we focus on managing day-to-day operations, including how to integrate old and new technologies, manage a SIEM and apply SOAR methodologies.

Third, we concentrate on dealing with a security incident, addressing business continuity, incident response plan, digital forensics and evidence management.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Incident Response Group Assignment, Final Examination

This subject provides a hands-on introduction to cybersecurity management. It presents well-known cyber governance standards such as NIST CSF and ISO27001, covering a range of topics, including legal and ethical issues, regulatory requirements, the human factor and security culture, as well as policy development.

It also focuses on the notion of risk and discusses qualitative and quantitative risk assessment approaches such as risk matrices and the FAIR (Factor Analysis of Information Risk) methodology.

Emphasis is given throughout the unit on how to effectively communicate cybersecurity risks to senior audiences.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Tests, Security Maturity Assessment Group Project and Presentation, Final Examination

This subject is a theoretical introduction to the management of projects in Cyber Security. It aims at equipping students with a solid understanding of project management principles. It also presents contemporary project management techniques and tools.

It insists on the importance of understanding the context of an organisation prior to and during the implementation of the project.

It also aims to develop an understanding of the factors that make a project successful, including leadership, communication, business acumen, etc.

Assessment Tasks:
Student Engagement, Test, Case Study, Final Examination

In this subject, a group of students work together as a team for a fictitious company called HACKME, over the course of one trimester.

HACKME faces a multiplicity of cybersecurity challenges, ranging from its people, culture, business processes and use of technology.

After a detailed introduction of the different facets of the company, students need to identify and select a practical and complex cybersecurity issue faced by HACKME and justify why it needs to be addressed, from a business point of view.

Students then plan and implement a comprehensive project in response to that issue, pulling together the knowledge and skills that they acquired in previously studied units.

Assessment Tasks:
Project Pitch and Approval, Project Plan and Proposal, Project Update Report, Project Deliverables, Reflective Journal, Final Presentation

*Please note that this capstone project is worth 20 credits.