Program Overview

BSc (Honours) Cyber Security

Course summary

Gain hands-on experience of cutting-edge cyber security techniques on this specialist degree, developing the practical skills to tackle real-world threats and protect digital systems.

How you learn

• Lectures
• Hands-on lab sessions and tutorials
• Regular feedback
• Teamwork and group-based learning
• Practice-based applied learning
• Discussions
• Self-study

Modules

Year 1

• Computer Systems And Networks (40 credits)
  • Aims: In this module students gain a fundamental understanding of the way computer networks operate and the core components of computer systems.
  • Indicative content:
    • Introduction to computer architecture and systems, including memory, I/O devices and interfaces, CPU, memory and buses
    • Structure and variety of Operating systems
    • High and low level languages, device drivers and processes
    • Memory (internal, external and cache) in computer systems
    • CPU structure, function and instruction sets
    • Digital logic (Boolean algebra, gates and circuits)
    • Build and configure a PC
    • Introduction to network protocols and models
    • IPv4 and IPv6 addressing and address resolution
    • Network services and routing
    • Packet and Datagram structures
    • Basic device network configuration
    • Switching concepts and configuration
    • Build a small network
• Introduction To Cyber Security, Maths And Cryptography (40 credits)
  • The module introduces the fundamental concepts and principles of cyber security and digital forensics.
  • Indicative content:
    • Confidentiality, integrity and availability in computer systems
    • Authentication and identification schemes
    • Malware and viruses
    • Cryptography
    • Network security threats and defences
    • Security planning, policies and training
    • Digital Forensics
    • Cyber law and standards
    • Numerical and algebraic processes and two-dimensional geometry
    • Computer number systems, e.g. binary, hexadecimal, etc.
    • Set theory and logic
    • Symmetric block ciphers, e.g. DES (triple-DES), AES (Rijndael) and
    • Public-key ciphers, e.g. RSA including prime numbers, modular arithmetic and exponentiation
    • Classical ciphers, e.g. shift, substitution, transposition, poly-alphabetic
    • Statistics and probability
• Professionalism And Employability (20 credits)
  • This module will build your employability skills to prepare you for work placement and your future career.
  • Indicative content:
    • Professionalism and ethics
    • Placement workspace
    • Client engagement and intrapreneurship
    • Personal performance planning and appraisal processes
    • Career planning
    • Pre-placement preparation
    • CV writing and covering letter
    • Employer engagement
• Software Development (20 credits)
  • This module introduces practical computer programming using a procedural problem-solving approach.
  • Indicative content:
    • Procedural programming concepts
    • Problem solving and top-down design
    • Software development processes: specification, design, implementation, testing
    • Data structures
    • Algorithmic analysis and design
    • Input/output
    • String and file handling
    • Procedures and functions, parameters, and return values
    • Program quality

Year 2

• Database Administration And Security (20 credits)
  • This module introduces the theoretical insights and practical skills required to administer and maintain a secure database using industry-standard database systems and tools.
  • Indicative content:
    • Database administration to support security measures: authentication, authorisation, views, stored procedures, trigger
    • Database programming
    • Backup and recovery strategies: data transfer, data type transformation, enforcing integrity
    • Employability skills: personal responsibility and teamwork.
    • Social, ethical, professional, legal, and sustainable practice and values, including equality, diversity, and inclusion
• Ethical Hacking And Intrusion Detection (40 credits)
  • This module introduces ethical hacking to analyse and test common security vulnerabilities.
  • Indicative content:
    • Laws and professional codes of conduct relevant to ethical hacking
    • Manual and automated processes to build a profile of computer systems
    • Vulnerabilities in protocols, computer systems and web applications
    • Tools and techniques to compromise computer system security
    • Classifying and assessing the risk of vulnerabilities
    • Network data features to aid forensic analysis, incident response and cyber security
    • Capturing, filtering and analysis of network traffic and malicious content
    • Host- and network-based intrusion detection systems
    • Anomaly and signature approaches to network defence
    • Threat intelligence
• Project Based Learning (20 credits)
  • This module develops your understanding of project requirements to design, develop and deliver a solution against a client project.
  • Indicative content:
    • Project management methodologies
    • Systems development methodologies
    • Collaboration, equality, diversity and inclusion considerations
    • Identifying stakeholders
    • Understanding requirements
    • Requirements and systems modelling techniques
    • Project planning
    • Time management
    • Task management
    • Social, professional, ethical, and legal issues
    • Presentation of information
    • Report writing, oral presentation
    • Project evaluation
    • Professional reflection
• Secure Network Services And Administration (40 credits)
  • The aim of the module is to enable students to analyse and test common security vulnerabilities through ethical hacking and to apply appropriate intrusion detection and incident response approaches for their mitigation.
  • Indicative content:
    • Security Requirements for Networks and Networking Devices over TCP/IP layers.
    • Data Confidentiality through Encryption, Public-Key Cryptography, Digital Signature and Data Integrity, including Access Control (local and remote) and Blockchain Technology.
    • Understanding wireless Networks and Wireless security
    • Secure Socket Programming (client-server) and Secure Application Development to maintain CIA Triad & transparency and trust for data and maintaining network security.
    • Understanding Security Policies, Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery, Relevant legislation, such as licences, data protection and storage security.
    • Fundamentals of operating systems.
    • Installation, management and monitoring of typical networked services and operating systems.
    • Configuration and management of user and group authentication polices and services.
    • Networked file systems, and the management of secure access to content stored/made available through these file systems.

Year 3

• Advanced Penetration Testing And Information Security Management (40 credits)
  • This module critically evaluates and applies appropriate information security methodologies and principles to reduce organisational risk.
  • Indicative content:
    • Identification of controls to meet standards requirements
    • Risk management and assessment methodologies
    • Policies, standards and procedures supporting an ISMS
    • Security awareness, continuity and handling incidents
    • Attack frameworks and response planning
    • Session management and injection attacks
    • Web application security and testing methodologies
    • Authentication system vulnerabilities
    • Privilege escalation and pivoting
    • Social engineering
• Enterprise Applications Management (20 credits)
  • This module develop the skills to apply and manage on-premise and cloud-based virtualised computing systems.
  • Indicative content:
    • Cloud computing platform theory and administration
    • On-premise virtualisation theory, installation and management
    • Containerisation theory, implementation and orchestration
    • Enterprise level system availability
    • Team building, project management and systems design methodology
• Project (Cyber Security And Networks) (40 credits)
  • This module enables you to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in a consultancy or employer-led research project, exploring a specific research or consultancy topic.
  • Indicative content:
    • Analysing and synthesising library resources, literature and databases
    • Methods for the specification, design, implementation and outcomes
    • Time management and project planning
    • Report writing, presentation and demonstration
    • Critical evaluation and reflection
    • Due consideration of ethics, values in the workplace and professionalism
    • What it means to be a computing professional
    • Awareness of employability issues
    • Enhancing your own employability

Future careers

This course prepares you for a career in:

• Information security
• Incident response analysis
• Information security analysis
• Penetration testing
• Security architecture
• IT security engineering
• Security systems administration
• IT security consultancy

Equipment and facilities

On this course, you’ll have access to specialist security and forensics labs and work with:

• Switches
• Routers
• Security appliances
• Virtualised desktops and servers
• SIEMs
• Intrusion detection systems
• Vulnerability discovery tools
• Penetration testing applications
• Mobile, web and desktop platforms
• In-house cyber-attack ranges
• Industry-standard targets such as Hack The Box

Entry requirements

• UCAS points: 112-120
• GCSE: English Language or Literature at grade C or 4, Maths at grade C or 4
• Additional information for EU/International students

Fees and funding

• Home students: £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)
• International students: £18,000 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)