Handbook

In this introductory cybersecurity course we look at Security Engineering – the engineering principles behind designing, monitoring, and maintaining security in the face of an adversary.  We explore selected case studies and examine the practical principles behind effective security. We introduce the fundamental ideas of security and then we look at how these are applied in current cyber security practice. We will pay particular attention to systems which fail and the importance of thinking like an attacker. This course involves analysis, critical thinking and design. A cunning and devious mind will be an asset. Although our main concern is cybersecurity, the engineering principles we cover apply to security more generally.

This course introduces modern cybersecurity design and practice, and is suitable for anyone with a playful analytical mind and a general interest in security.  We assume knowledge of coding, ideally in C, and knowledge of low level computing concepts such as memory implementation and function calling.  The course provides an introduction to applied cyber security, as well as analytical skills and taking an engineering approach to security design. We'll also bring you up to date with the current main trends in cybersecurity.

In this course you will undertake an applied self directed security project. 

There is an associated "Core" version of this course (COMP6441).  CSE students will probably choose to take this Extended course rather than the core course, but are not required to.  You can transfer between these two associated courses before the census date if you can't make up your mind in advance which is better for you.

This extended course is the core course plus additional applied technical material.

After completing COMP6841 you can proceed to the other UNSW Computing Security Courses covering topics in:

• Digital forensics
• Penetration testing
• Memory corruption and exploitation
• Software assurance
• Incident response
• Malware analysis and reversing
• Cryptanalysis
• Professional issues and leadership in security
• Web application security
• Special projects
• Masterclass

The precise topics covered in this course will change from year to year to keep the coverage up-to-date and relevant. The field is now too big for us to cover everything in detail in a single course but by the end of this course you will have an overview of the major topics in contemporary security, a good understanding of the current state of the field, and have begun to think like a security engineer.

Our intention is to make this a highly enjoyable course. The field is quite stimulating as the security mindset you will develop involves understanding know how to break things in creative ways (as well as how to create things as is traditional in computing) with puzzles, cunning, cloak-and-dagger antics and a never-ending supply of amusing stories. However it will not be an easy course – you are expected to master the underlying theory *and* to be able to apply it to real world situations. There is a lot to learn and we expect you to work hard and study it in your own time.