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CS263-15 Cyber Security

Department
Computer Science
Level
Undergraduate Level 2
Module leader
Khalil Challita
Credit value
15
Module duration
10 weeks
Assessment
Multiple
Study location
University of Warwick main campus, Coventry
Introductory description

The module aims to provide students with a grounding in the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of secure systems.

Module aims

The module aims to provide students with a grounding in the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of secure systems. This includes coverage of formal, pattern-based and domain-specific approaches to development, as well as the human factors relevant to secure systems.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The emphasis of the module is on the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of secure systems. The outline below is illustrative of what will be covered, though the nature of computer security means that the specific topics covered will vary as developments dictate.

Secure Systems Development Context

  • Core concepts - confidentiality, availability, authenticity, control, trust, etc.
  • Core technologies - authentication, permissions and access control, privacy controls,
    communication protocols, event monitoring, sandboxing, cryptographic hashes, etc.
  • Architectures - Distributed systems, centralised systems, etc.

Specification and Design

  • Formal specification methods and secure systems
  • Secure model-driven development
  • Secure architecture and pattern-based design
  • Methodologies and standards for secure systems development
    Implementation and Testing
  • Secure programming techniques
  • Security and design-patterns for systems implementation
  • Obfuscation and de-obfuscation
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Fuzzing

Evaluation and Maintenance

  • Validation methods and system hardening
  • Human factors and organisational security
  • Software and threat evolution
  • Remote protection
  • Penetration testing
Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • Understand core security concepts and technologies relating to the development of secure systems.
  • Understand the significance of context in the development of secure systems.
  • Understand how software development methodologies can be augmented to account for the development of secure systems, including coverage of pattern and model-driven development approaches.
  • Understand and have experience applying defensive programming approaches in the development and analysis of secure systems.
  • Understand and have experience the principles of state-of-the-art approaches for the testing of secure testing, including penetration testing and fuzzing.
  • Appreciate the long-term challenges surrounding and approaches for managing secure systems in an organisational context.
Indicative reading list

Please see Talis Aspire link for most up to date list.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

See syllabus

Transferable skills

Technical skills;
Communication skills;
Critical thinking;
Multitasking;

Study time

Type Required
Lectures 20 sessions of 1 hour (13%)
Supervised practical classes 20 sessions of 1 hour (13%)
Private study 110 hours (73%)
Total 150 hours
Private study description

Background reading of recommended texts.
Work on unsupervised practical assignment
Exam revision

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.

Assessment group D3
Weighting Study time
Unsupervised practical assignment 30%

Unsupervised practical assignment. This assignment is worth more than 3 CATS and is not, therefore, eligible for self-certification.

In-person Examination 70%

CS263 Exam


  • Answerbook Pink (12 page)
Assessment group R2
Weighting Study time
In-person Examination - Resit 100%

CS263 resit exam


  • Answerbook Pink (12 page)
Feedback on assessment

Written Feedback given via Tabula

Past exam papers for CS263

Pre-requisites

This module is only available to students in the second year of their degree and is not available as an unusual option to students in other years of study.

Courses

This module is Optional for:

  • Year 2 of UCSA-I1N1 Undergraduate Computer Science with Business Studies
  • UCSA-G4G1 Undergraduate Discrete Mathematics
    • Year 3 of G4G1 Discrete Mathematics
    • Year 3 of G4G1 Discrete Mathematics
  • Year 3 of UCSA-G4G3 Undergraduate Discrete Mathematics
  • Year 4 of UCSA-G4G4 Undergraduate Discrete Mathematics (with Intercalated Year)
  • Year 4 of UCSA-G4G2 Undergraduate Discrete Mathematics with Intercalated Year

This module is Option list A for:

  • UCSA-G500 Undergraduate Computer Science
    • Year 2 of G500 Computer Science
    • Year 2 of G500 Computer Science
  • UCSA-G503 Undergraduate Computer Science MEng
    • Year 2 of G500 Computer Science
    • Year 2 of G503 Computer Science MEng
    • Year 2 of G503 Computer Science MEng

This module is Option list B for:

  • Year 4 of UCSA-G504 MEng Computer Science (with intercalated year)
  • UCSA-G500 Undergraduate Computer Science
    • Year 3 of G500 Computer Science
    • Year 3 of G500 Computer Science
  • UCSA-G502 Undergraduate Computer Science (with Intercalated Year)
    • Year 4 of G502 Computer Science with Intercalated Year
    • Year 4 of G502 Computer Science with Intercalated Year
  • UCSA-G503 Undergraduate Computer Science MEng
    • Year 3 of G500 Computer Science
    • Year 3 of G503 Computer Science MEng
    • Year 3 of G503 Computer Science MEng
  • UCSA-G4G1 Undergraduate Discrete Mathematics
    • Year 2 of G4G1 Discrete Mathematics
    • Year 2 of G4G1 Discrete Mathematics
  • Year 2 of UCSA-G4G3 Undergraduate Discrete Mathematics