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Unit of study_
INFO3616: Principles of Security and Security Eng
2025 unit information
This unit provides an introduction to the many facets of security in the digital and networked world, the challenges that IT 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 state-of-the-art incarnations of security principles and technology, 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 cyber-physical 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. This unit also serves as the initial step for a specialisation in computer and communications security.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Engineering
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Computer Science |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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ELEC5616 or INFO2315 or CSEC3616 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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(INFO1110 or INFO1910) and INFO1112 and INFO1113 and MATH1X64. Knowledge equivalent to the above units is assumed. This means good programming skills in Python or a C-related language, basic networking knowledge, and skills from discrete mathematics. A technical orientation is absolutely required, especially capacity to become familiar with new technology without explicit supervision |
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.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
