Master of Information Technology (Cyber Security and Networks)
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About this unit

Investigate the architectural principles that underpin modern computer systems: how they are structured and how they operate.

In this unit you will build your own computer system using simulation software, learn about the ongoing evolution of computer systems, and master fundamental hardware and software concepts that allow you to understand the building blocks that comprise computer systems.

About this unit

Organisations are continually transforming to leverage the potential of information systems. A key part of this ongoing evolution is ensuring leadership teams are aware of the nature of an information system, how best to manage its components and subsystems effectively, and how to make informed decisions based on data.

This purpose of this is to provide insights into how to appropriately identify issues facing organisations, and then develop information systems that help resolve these issues.

Drawing on real-world case studies, you explore core concepts including the components of information systems, the design cycle, business analytics, and ethical and privacy considerations.

About this unit

Cyber security breaches – network infiltration, malware attacks, personal and corporate data theft – are commonplace and on the rise. In an increasingly globalised world with interconnected computer systems, the risks of malicious cyber security attacks are already threatening to have a global impact.

This unit introduces essential information security concepts such as confidentiality, integrity and availability. You will study the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model in order to better understand network communications, and enhance your ability to identify information security vulnerabilities and threats in a range of networked scenarios.

You will develop a practical skill set that allows you to identify and anticipate cyber security risks and vulnerabilities, and work towards reinforcing cyber security practices in an organisation through the use of numerous strategies including cryptography, identity control, and general network and communications security.

About this unit

Database management is both a technical challenge for businesses and organisations, as well as a societal and ethical one.

This unit covers the design thinking behind rigorous database management, standard database querying techniques, all in accordance with the ethical aspects of data management, storage and use.

You will study conceptual data modelling techniques to understand, analyse and capture an abstraction of the complex data aspect of business domains. By doing so you will learn to design a database from a relational database schema and implement effective, ethical and culturally sensitive solutions to database management problems.

About this unit

Programming is a technical skill well worth taking the time to master. Even if you haven’t learnt any programming in the past, this unit will introduce you to the basic building blocks of programming algorithms: sequence, selection, iteration, and how algorithmic thinking itself is used to break down problems into simpler steps.

Using C# language to express these steps in universal programming language, you will learn about the imperative style of programming in which a sequence of statements change the program’s state.

You will learn practical troubleshooting skills, and how to debug and test programs to ensure their correctness, as you simultaneously develop an understanding of program syntax and compiler errors.

About this unit

IT systems are powerful tools capable of solving business problems, but to do so operational problems need first to be identified and defined. This unit equips you with both soft skills – to collaborate as part of a team and identify problems – and technical skills in system design to navigate complexities and solve problems.

You will apply visual communication tools as analytical tools to explain design outputs and gain feedback from users and peers, after which you will devise elegant design solutions to resolve contemporary industry problems.

About this unit

Object oriented programming is a multi-dimensional method of combating complexity, particularly when developing larger programs. In this unit you will explore the key concepts of abstraction, encapsulation and polymorphism:

• Abstraction is the process of naming known quantities and identifying common properties of a collection of objects.
• Encapsulation is the process “putting things in a box” – selectively exposing some aspects of what’s in the box, but deliberately hiding other aspects.
• Polymorphism is the concept of an object being able to have different.

By using the C# programming language in combination with these concepts, you will learn how to break down complexity and develop practical programming solutions.

About this unit

Explore the conceptual frameworks that guide web application development, learning how frameworks such as Bootstrap and Python-Flask are integral to robust and effective web development.

This unit covers the web development process, from initial design to development and finally deployment.

You will gain hands-on experience with the model view controller (MVC) architecture pattern, and learn about the specific functionality of MVC components, and how these contribute to the software architecture of a web application. You will also make use of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that are managed through MVC platforms.

About this unit

Object Oriented Design is a methodology that identifies potential objects and classes by analysing programming models, allowing you to solve complex problems with real-world implications. Basing software design on entities that exist in the real world maximises the chance that software architecture will age and evolve gracefully, primarily because the choice of objects remain stable.

In this unit you will learn about and apply standard software design principles such as SOLID, DRY, KISS and YAGNI. Crucially, you will learn how such designs are professionally communicated and used as part of agile design processes.

This is a 6 credit point micro unit.

About this unit

Data structures define modern computer science, for instance those used to represent strings, dictionaries, lists, trees and graphs.

In this unit you will learn and implement the algorithms commonly used for searching, sorting and processing these data. You will learn both how to assess the efficiency of these algorithms and distinguish between those that can process large amounts of data efficiently, and those that run unacceptably slowly as the size of the input grows.

This is a 6 credit point micro unit.

About this unit

Information is a vital organisational asset. Information systems store, process and exchange information, and most economic sectors are dependent on electronic and automated systems. Interconnectivity is important for many organisations, but this is also increases the exposure to adverse events, necessitating the need for thorough information security management.

This unit builds upon fundamental information security concepts, including the management of information systems that affect organisational information security: identity management, authentication, access control, monitoring, risk management, incident response and disaster recovery.

About this unit

The ability to understand, analyse, design, configure and manage computer networks and network services is a requirement for a range of graduate entry information technology positions.

This unit introduces core concepts that govern computer network administration and the Internet, in particular layered network architecture and models, hardware and software, TCP/IP protocol stack, addressing and routing, wireless networks, network security, and network services and applications. You will learn how modern computer networks and the Internet work, and how they are structured.

About this unit

Data privacy and security are critical areas of legal risk in the digital era. In this unit students will develop an awareness of how workplace data use is effectively regulated to protect the privacy of people’s data. You will have the opportunity to examine both national and international data collection obligations, with an emphasis on the key responsibility of data custodians to secure data to prevent unauthorised use. You will also develop your ability to synthesise knowledge from various legal sources to identify legal risks in a digital data-driven context.

About this unit

Many security vulnerabilities and threats arise at the software level. They can often be attributed to poor software design and implementation, including poor understanding of code-level security requirements, inadequate handling of exceptional cases, incomplete descriptions of the interface between components for secure interactions, and insufficient care in the use of programming languages. This unit provides an overall understanding of software security from a programming perspective in a security context, with the aim of improving your ability in designing, implementing and analysing security-critical programs. In this unit, you will learn about secure programming techniques that can be used to detect vulnerabilities in software and defend against attacks such as buffer overflows, SQL injection and cross-site scripting. The module also covers common mistakes made in using programming languages, libraries and frameworks, and how they can be avoided.

About this unit

This advanced unit will provide an in-depth understanding of cryptographic algorithms and their applications. Cryptographic algorithms enable practical security services such as confidentiality and integrity assurance for stored or transmitted data, and authentication of entities. As a society, we are increasingly dependent on electronic systems, often interconnected, for storage and transmission of information. However, there are many threats to the security of information. This unit will explore the application of modern cryptographic techniques to protect information in a range of situations, and also provide an understanding of their limitations. This unit follows IFN553 Introduction to Security, and IFN541 Information Security Management, and is a more detailed examination of a particular set of control mechanisms that make use of mathematical and analytical algorithms to protect information assets.

About this unit

This unit is designed for graduate students in the Masters of IT.

Students will learn the theory, architecture, hardware/software, and programming of networks, including network services, Internet-of-Things (IoT), as well the security, trust, and privacy considerations in these networks.

You will learn the theory and practice of building, monitoring, and tailoring computer networks to applications, including core network functions and services such as routing, DHCP and DNS. You will also learn about the theory and practice of IoT networks that underpin the ‘fourth industrial revolution’.

There are two main components of the unit: collaborative learning activities covering the principles involved, and practical assignments in which you will build your own miniature networks using free open source software on virtual servers and on IoT devices.

About this unit

As a professional, regardless of your discipline or context, you will be required to gather the best available evidence to make decisions, solve problems, and establish best practice, as well as innovate and develop. This unit will develop your understanding and higher order thinking related to the key concepts, principles, methodologies regarding research and provide the skills required in to perform research within professional settings and professional practice.

About this unit

As a professional, regardless of your discipline or context, you will be required to gather the best available evidence to make decisions, solve problems, and establish best practice, as well as innovate and develop. This unit will develop your understanding and higher order thinking related to the key concepts, principles, methodologies regarding research and provide the skills required in to perform research within professional settings and professional practice.

About this unit

The aim of this unit is to help you apply skills previously attained in your degree in an advanced problem domain and to enable you to conduct a well-defined project with specific outcomes. The project addresses an industry problem through the application of IT theories, tools and techniques. You will develop project management skills to lead teams in complex and changing environments. This unit introduces a range of traditional and contemporary project management approaches.

About this unit

The aim of this unit is to help you apply skills previously attained in your degree in an advanced problem domain and to enable you to conduct a well-defined project with specific outcomes. The project addresses an industry problem through the application of IT theories, tools and techniques. You will develop project management skills to lead teams in complex and changing environments. This unit introduces a range of traditional and contemporary project management approaches.

About this unit

User Experience (UX) describes how we engage with technology, including how we use, feel, think, and talk about it. It is widely recognized as a key success factor for digital technologies and services that shape how we live, work, socialize, learn, play, and manage our health. In this introduction to User Experience you will learn methods and theories to understand and characterize what experiences matter to people, to generate ideas and create prototypes, and to evaluate the experiences that people have with technology prototypes. Understanding how to create positive experiences with digital technologies will give students an edge in the market place for jobs as user experience professionals, IT developers, and interaction designers.

About this unit

This unit builds on the intermediate level Data Structures and Algorithms unit, progressing to advanced graduate level topics in data structures, algorithms and complexity analysis that would not normally be seen in an undergraduate curriculum. When faced with a challenging software problem to solve, it is important to be familiar with a range of clever, but general algorithms and data structures that others in the field have already developed. When no ready-made solution exists, it is important to understand and be guided by the general principles of algorithm design, and to draw upon the experience of the profession in creating new methods. You will learn how to analyse the computational complexity of new and existing algorithms, to determine their suitability for the task at hand. And most importantly, you will learn how to apply your knowledge to solve practical real-world problems.