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Unit outline_

CSEC3616: Cybersecurity Engineering

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit provides an introduction to the many facets of security in the digital and networked world, the challenges that computer systems face, and the design principles that have been developed to build secure systems and counter attacks. The unit puts the focus squarely on providing a thorough understanding of security principles and engineering for security. At the same time, we stress a hands-on approach to teach the stateof-the-art incarnations of security principles and technology, pretesting, and we practice programming for security. We pay particular attention to the fact that security is much more than just technology as we discuss the fields of usability in security, operational security, and cyberphysical systems. At the end of this unit, graduates are prepared for practical demands in their later careers and know how to tackle new, yet unforeseen challenges.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Computer Science
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
INFO1X10 AND INFO1112 AND INFO1113 AND MATH1X64
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
ELEC5616 or INFO2315 or INFO3616
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Suranga Seneviratne, suranga.seneviratne@sydney.edu.au
The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024
Type Description Weight Due Length
Supervised exam
? 
Final examination
You are allowed to bring two A4 pages of written or printed material.
60% Formal exam period 2 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
Assignment Assignment 1
An individual assignment that requires submitting answers and code.
10% Week 05
Due date: 01 Sep 2024 at 23:59

Closing date: 08 Sep 2024
Two weeks
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO7 LO9 LO10
Tutorial quiz Quiz - 1
Online quiz via Canvas - To be completed within Week 6.
5% Week 06
Due date: 08 Sep 2024 at 23:59

Closing date: 08 Sep 2024
40 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4
Assignment Assignment 2
An individual assignment that requires submitting answers and code.
10% Week 08
Due date: 22 Sep 2024 at 23:59

Closing date: 29 Sep 2024
Two weeks
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO7 LO9 LO10
Assignment Assignment 3
An individual assignment that requires submitting answers and code.
10% Week 11
Due date: 20 Oct 2024 at 23:59

Closing date: 27 Oct 2024
Two weeks
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO7 LO9 LO10
Tutorial quiz Quiz - 2
An online quiz via Canvas - To be completed within Week 12.
5% Week 12
Due date: 27 Oct 2024 at 23:59

Closing date: 27 Oct 2024
40 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

Final Exam: The final exam will be supervised and the students are allowed to bring two A4 pages (double-sided) of printed or written material.

Quiz - 1: There will be 10-15 Multiple Choice and Multiple Answer Questions to answer within 40 mins. The quiz will be available in Canvas during Week 6. If the quiz is missed, the student has to apply for special considerations, and a mark adjustment will be granted if approved.

Quiz - 2: There will be 10-15 Multiple Choice and Multiple Answer Questions to answer within 40 mins. The quiz will be available in Canvas during Week 12. If the quiz is missed, the student has to apply for special considerations, and a mark adjustment will be granted if approved.

Assignment - 1: Individual assignment that requires submission of code and a report.

Assignment - 2: Individual assignment that requires submission of code and a report.

Assignment - 3: Individual assignment that requires submission of code and a report.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard. It is a policy of the School of Computer Science that in order to pass this unit, a student must achieve at least 40% in the written examination. For subjects without a final exam, the 40% minimum requirement applies to the corresponding major assessment component specified by the lecturer. A student must also achieve an overall final mark of 50 or more. Any student not meeting these requirements may be given a maximum final mark of no more than 45 regardless of their average.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

According to the university policy. Details will be provided in class, Canvas, and each assignment description.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to Security Engineering Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4 LO6 LO8
Week 02 Usability and Security Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO8
Week 03 Access Control Lecture (2 hr) LO2 LO4 LO6 LO7
Week 04 Symmetric Cryptography Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO7 LO9
Week 05 Asymmetric Cryptography Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO7 LO9
Week 06 Hashes, MACs, and Signatures Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO7 LO9 LO10
Week 07 Authentication, Key Establishment & Distribution Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO7 LO9 LO10
Week 08 Network Security - Protocols Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO7 LO9 LO10
Week 09 Network Security - Firewalls Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO7 LO9 LO10
Week 10 Software Security Lecture (2 hr) LO4 LO6 LO9 LO10
Week 11 Web Security Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO5 LO7 LO8
Week 12 Guest Lecture - A contemporary topic in Cybersecurity Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO5 LO7 LO8
Week 13 UoS Summary Lecture (2 hr) LO3 LO4 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO10

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Search and retrieve relevant literature, and put it into the context of a security setup
  • LO2. Communicate the results of a security study to a non-security audience
  • LO3. Identify and understand ethical, legal, and professional issues in security
  • LO4. Recognise flaws in IT systems at the design stage
  • LO5. Demonstrate knowledge of security principles to follow in designing a system, including implications for usability and performance
  • LO6. Apply security principles in design phase
  • LO7. Demonstrate knowledge of how security principles are matched to certain technologies, and the security goals they achieve
  • LO8. Understand the key representatives of security technologies today
  • LO9. Demonstrate knowledge in programming for security (software/communications/network)
  • LO10. Understand common tools to explore a security setup and analyse it.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

New unit

Academic appeals: sydney.edu.au/students/academic-appeals.html

Canvas: canvas.sydney.edu.au

Expectations of student conduct: sydney.edu.au/students/student-responsibilities.html

Financial support: sydney.edu.au/students/financial-support.html

Learning and Teaching Policy: sydney.edu.au/policies/

Libraries: sydney.edu.au/students/libraries.html

Student administration: sydney.edu.au/study/student-administration.html

Study resources: sydney.edu.au/students/learning-services.html

Wellbeing and support: sydney.edu.au/students/health-wellbeing.html

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.