Program Overview

Course Overview

The Cybersecurity Fundamentals course, CYBR 171, is designed to introduce students to the world of cybersecurity, exploring the roles of cyber criminals, state-sponsored hackers, and commercial and government defenders. This foundational course covers social engineering, security and privacy concerns, physical security, common threats, attacks, and the techniques, frameworks, and tools used to defend and protect against them.

Course Details

• Course Code: CYBR 171
• Duration: 17 weeks
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.8 hours per week
• Points: 15 points (one point is about 10 hours of work)
• Fees:
  • Domestic students: NZ$1,269.45
  • International students: NZ$5,806.35
• Lecture Times:
  • Monday 1.10pm
  • Monday 2.10pm
  • Thursday 11.00am
• Campus: Kelburn

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: None
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None (students who have already passed similar content courses cannot take this course)

Course Objectives

Students who pass this course will be able to:

1. Apply security techniques and tools to improve their security posture and those around them.
2. Analyse security problems, identify threats, and propose appropriate mitigations.
3. Evaluate ethical and legal issues related to cybersecurity, cybercrime, and cyberwarfare.

Teaching Method

This course is designed for in-person study, with three in-person lectures and one in-person lab per week. Labs are only available in person, but online help is provided via email/Zoom for those who cannot attend. An in-person test requires in-person attendance, while four assignments can be done online.

Assessment

• Exam (2 hours): 50%
• Test 1 (1 hour): 20%
• Four Assignments: 30% (first three weighted at 5% each, fourth assignment weighted at 15%)

Mandatory Requirements

There are no mandatory requirements for this course.

Lecture Times and Rooms

Lecture times are from 23 February 2026 to 21 June 2026, with specific times and rooms allocated.

What You'll Need to Get

You do not need to get any texts or equipment for this course.

Course Coordinator and Lecturer

• Course Coordinator: Dr. Qurrat Ul Ain
• Lecturer: Kevin Shedlock

Past Versions of This Course

Older versions of this course may be accessible through the course archive.

Student Feedback

Previous students' feedback on this course can be found in the student feedback database.