Program Overview

ITEC624 - Network Security and Applications

Year

2023

Credit Points

10

Campus Offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

This unit offers a critical awareness of current developments, industry practices, and future trends in network security, web security, database security, and wireless security. In this unit, students will explore several tools and techniques to combat threats such as malware, intrusion, social engineering, data leakage or zero-day attacks, based on understanding secure authentication mechanisms, password management, intrusion detection & prevention, information security policies, and user education. Students need to design a shell-script based IDS which will enable them to gain practical skills in identifying intrusions in a host system. The aim of this unit is to provide students a good understanding of network and information security issues and develop their knowledge and skills required to identify security threats, design and implement appropriate security measures to countermeasure those threats.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to demonstrate they have achieved the learning outcomes detailed below. Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities to ensure work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination, and impact.

• LO1: Synthesise knowledge on security goals, threats, vulnerabilities, and potential security attacks in a networked environment (GA4, GA5)
• LO2: Apply knowledge and skills in selecting appropriate cryptographic tools to provide the required security services and ensure common good through data stewardship (GA2, GA5)
• LO3: Design a host-based intrusion detection system (IDS) using shell script to detect malicious attacks on a system (GA5, GA7)
• LO4: Comprehensively analyse and evaluate complex network systems, discover, and mitigate vulnerabilities and threats (GA5, GA8)

Graduate Attributes

• GA2: Recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment, and society
• GA4: Think critically and reflectively
• GA5: Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
• GA7: Work both autonomously and collaboratively
• GA8: Locate, organise, analyse, synthesise, and evaluate information

Content

Topics will include:

• Introduction to network security
• Unix programming
• Shell scripting
• Data stewardship
• Key management (Multimode only)
• Authentication and Password Management
• Firewall and IDS
• Email & Database security (Multimode only)
• Wireless network security (Multimode only)
• Web Security
• Security tools

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

Multimode

This unit will be delivered in multimode over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period. Students will have access to all primary learning materials online, along with formative and summative assessments, all of which will be available online, to provide a learning experience beyond the classroom. While there are no formal classroom lectures for this unit, students will be required to attend weekly three-hour workshops, which will include a seminar and specific tasks related to achievement of the unit learning outcomes. Workshops facilitate learning by doing, which is particularly effective for information technology units as technical skills can be better learned through hands-on practices.

ACU Online

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application, and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. The first assessment provides students with an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and gain practical skills. The second assessment task is designed to provide students an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and skills and design a practical security solution. The last assessment provides students with an opportunity to test their grasp of theoretical and practical aspects of the unit.

To pass this unit, students must demonstrate competence in all learning outcomes and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure students' level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit.

Overview of Assessments

Multimode

• Assessment Task 1: Lab Assessment: This assessment consists of a series of weekly lab exercises where students are required to apply different network security tools and techniques to solve practical problems. The feedback from this assessment will help students to understand critical concepts of network security and their applications.
  • Submission Type: Individual
  • Assessment Method: Lab Practical task
  • Artefact: Source Code/Lab report
  • Weighting: 20%
  • Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
  • Graduate Attributes: GA2, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8
• Assessment Task 2: Practical Project – Designing an Intrusion Detection System using Shell Script: This assessment task consists of Shell Code and a 1500-word report. This task requires students to develop professional skills through the application of theoretical knowledge and understanding of Unix programming concepts. The students are expected to develop an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in Shell script to detect anomalies. The purpose of this assessment is to assess the students' ability to apply their theoretical knowledge and design an effective solution to countermeasure security threats through collaborative learning.
  • Submission Type: Group
  • Assessment Method: Implementation & Test report
  • Artefact: Shell Code and Report (1500 words)
  • Weighting: 30%
  • Learning Outcome: LO3
  • Graduate Attributes: GA5, GA7
• Assessment Task 3: Problem Solving: This assessment task tests the students' grasp of both theoretical and practical aspects of the unit. The students will study several case studies, critically analyse them, and answer a number of open-ended questions. They also have to use network security tools to investigate the given scenarios and justify the outcomes.
  • Submission Type: Individual
  • Assessment Method: Assignment
  • Artefact: Assignment solutions
  • Weighting: 50%
  • Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO4
  • Graduate Attributes: GA2, GA4, GA5, GA8

ACU Online

• Assessment Task 1: Practical Exercises: This assessment consists of a series of practical exercises where students are required to apply different security tools and techniques to solve practical problems. The exercises will be collated by students and submitted as a single file.
  • Submission Type: Individual
  • Assessment Method: Practical tasks
  • Artefact: Answers/report
  • Weighting: 20%
  • Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
  • Graduate Attributes: GA2, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8
• Assessment Task 2: Practical Project – Designing an Intrusion Detection System using Shell Script: This assessment task consists of Shell Code and a 1500-word report. This task requires students to develop professional skills through the application of theoretical knowledge and understanding of Unix programming concepts. The students are expected to develop an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in Shell script to detect anomalies. The purpose of this assessment is to assess the students' ability to apply their theoretical knowledge and design an effective solution to countermeasure security threats.
  • Submission Type: Individual
  • Assessment Method: Implementation & Test report
  • Artefact: Shell Code and Report (1500 words)
  • Weighting: 30%
  • Learning Outcome: LO3
  • Graduate Attributes: GA5, GA7
• Assessment Task 3: Problem Solving: This assessment task tests the students' grasp of both theoretical and practical aspects of the unit. The students will study several case studies, critically analyse them, and answer a number of open-ended questions. They also have to use network security tools to investigate the given scenarios and justify the outcomes.
  • Submission Type: Individual
  • Assessment Method: Assignment
  • Artefact: Assignment solutions
  • Weighting: 50%
  • Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO4
  • Graduate Attributes: GA2, GA4, GA5, GA8

Representative Texts and References

• Stallings W 2016, Cryptography & Network Security: Principles and Practice, 7th edn, Pearson US
• Pfleeger C & Pfleeger S & Margulies J 2015, Security in Computing, 5th edn, Prentice Hall, New Jersey
• Stallings W & Brown L, 2018, Computer Security: Principle and Practice, 4th Edn, Pearson US
• Anderson, R 2020, Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems, 3rd edn, Wiley
• Whitman, M & Mattord, H 2016, Principles of Information Security, 5th edn, Cengage, Boston