CS813 - Advanced Information Security
| TIMETABLE | TEACHING MATERIAL |
| Credits | 15 |
| Level | 5 |
| Semester | Semester 2 |
| Mode of Delivery |
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| Availability | Only offered as part of the MSc Graduate Apprenticeship Cyber Security. Not available as an elective. |
| Prerequisites | Term 1 of the MSc Graduate Apprenticeship Cyber Security. |
| Learning Activities Breakdown |
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| Items of Assessment | 3 |
| Assessment | This module is assessed 100% by coursework, and you will be assessed as follows:
|
| ILO Assessment Mapping | |
| Education for Sustainable Development Competences |
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| Pedagogical Methods Used to Support Competency Development | |
| Sustainable Development Goals |
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| Resit | Resit is through coursework only. Students will be requested to resubmit all failed pieces of coursework. |
| Lecturer | Jan de Muijnck-Hughes |
Aims and Objectives
The aim of CS813 is to develop student understanding of security and privacy of information within communicating systems. Specifically, we will look at how communicating systems operate, their construction, and relevant attacks and defences involved. In addition, we will also provide a more in-depth treatment of Cryptography, as it plays a fundamental role in securing systems and their communication.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this class, learners should be able:
- to understand how communicating systems operate and the different ways in which they can be insecure;
- to understand the role that cryptography has in securing system communicating and behaviour;
- to understand the importance of network security, and how networks can be attacked and defended;
- to understand the security of web applications and how data is made secure;
- to understand the role that cloud computing has in enabling web applications, and the security implications associated with using cloud technologies;
- to understand the growing importance of privacy in (communicating) system design, be able to identify and discuss various Privacy-Enhancing Technologies;
Syllabus
Note the precise set of topics covered are subject to change.
- Introduction to Communicating Systems and their (In)Security:
- What are communicating systems? What are the risks and threats associated with communicating system design and operation?
- Cryptography for securing system communication and behaviour:
- protocols for communication, identification, and authentication; theoretical considerations; regulatory concerns; key management; state-of-the-art cryptography;
- Network Security:
- How do wired and wireless networks operate; threats to network communications; malware; network intrusion and detection; secure network communications;
- Web Security:
- How are Web Applications made; browser security; sandboxes; supply chain attacks; web-based authentication; email security; AI threats;
- Cloud & Platform Security:
- Trust Boundaries (Zero Trust Architectures); Shared Responsibilities; Identity and Access Management; Zero Trust Architectures; Identity-driven infrastructure security; Agentic AI Security Risks
- Privacy-by-Design:
- Internet Privacy & Anonymity; Privacy Enhancing Technologies (trusted execution environments; federated analytics; de-identification; differential privacy); data sovereignty;
- Internet Privacy & Anonymity; Privacy Enhancing Technologies (trusted execution environments; federated analytics; de-identification; differential privacy); data sovereignty;
Recommended Reading
This list is indicative only – the class lecturer may recommend alternative reading material. Please do not purchase any of the reading material listed below until you have confirmed with the class lecturer that it will be used for this class.
The class lecturer will recommend a mixture of specific and generic references for each part of the
course and may recommend alternative reading material
Last updated: 2026-08-07 11:04:56