Program Overview

Introduction to COMP2320 Offensive Security

COMP2320 is a university program that provides an introduction to ethical hacking and offensive security. The program places a strong emphasis on ethics and ethical behavior as students are exposed to penetration techniques and methods.

General Information

• Unit convenor and teaching staff: Lecturer and Unit Convenor Natasha Fernandes, Lecturer Damian Jurd
• Credit points: 10
• Prerequisites: None
• Corequisites: COMP2110 and (COMP2250 OR COMP2270) and COMP2300
• Co-badged status: Co-taught with COMP6320
• Unit description: This unit provides an introduction to ethical hacking and offensive security, with a strong emphasis on ethics and ethical behavior.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

• Explain the importance of ethics and ethical behavior in relation to offensive security and penetration testing.
• Perform scoping, vulnerability scanning, and reconnaissance on a range of devices, platforms, protocols, systems, and organizations.
• Exploit vulnerabilities for a range of purposes, including access control, payload delivery, and privilege escalation.
• Effectively communicate results verbally and in writing to technical and non-technical audiences.

Assessment Tasks

• Journal (30%): A log book of activities completed throughout the semester.
• Presentation (30%): A group presentation on a well-known vulnerability.
• Professional Report (40%): A professional report drawn from a set of journaled activities.

Delivery and Resources

• The unit is delivered through a combination of lectures and practical workshops.
• Students are expected to bring their own laptop computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) to the workshop, with a minimum of 120GB of free disk space, 8GB of memory, and 4 CPU cores.
• Additional reading materials will be provided on iLearn as required.

Policies and Procedures

• Academic Appeals Policy
• Academic Integrity Policy
• Academic Progression Policy
• Assessment Policy
• Fitness to Practice Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Complaints Resolution Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
• Special Consideration Policy

Changes from Previous Offering

The unit has been modified from its previous offering due to changes in university assessment principles. This semester, COMP2320 assessments will consist of a journal of all activities completed by students during the semester, a single professional report based on the content of the aforementioned journal, and a group presentation to be made in-class towards the end of the semester.

Changes since First Published

• 15/07/2025: Added slide deck due date.