Module Exam

Assessment Type ¹: Examination Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours Due: 12/10/2026 Weighting: 30% Groupwork/Individual: Individual Short extension ³: No AI Approach: Observed

Students will sit an examination that will test their understanding of the material covered in the unit.

• Use international frameworks and Standards to develop cyber security policies, standards and procedures as part of an information security management system, including legal and regulatory compliance.
• Use qualitative and quantitative risk assessment techniques to both manage cyber security risk by selecting controls and to communicate risk management strategies to business stakeholders.

AI use for Data Breach Analysis

Assessment Type ¹: Portfolio Indicative Time on Task ²: 40 hours Due: 13/09/2026 Weighting: 40% Groupwork/Individual: Individual Short extension ³: Yes AI Approach: Open

Students will critically evaluate an AI tool’s effectiveness in gathering, reporting, and analysing real-world data breaches, with a focus on how well it applies cybersecurity frameworks and risk assessment techniques. They will analyse the tool’s outputs to produce a written summary supported by an appendix of source material, demonstrating their ability to assess the reliability and practical value of AI in cybersecurity.

• Use international frameworks and Standards to develop cyber security policies, standards and procedures as part of an information security management system, including legal and regulatory compliance.
• Use qualitative and quantitative risk assessment techniques to both manage cyber security risk by selecting controls and to communicate risk management strategies to business stakeholders.

Junior Analyst Management Update

Assessment Type ¹: Presentation task Indicative Time on Task ²: 30 hours Due: 08/11/2026 Weighting: 30% Groupwork/Individual: Individual Short extension ³: No AI Approach: Observed

Students will record a video presentation and create a written report that delivers a clear and professional update to management on a cyber incident. The task assesses their ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences using contemporary digital communication and traditional management reporting.

• Manage operational security by developing plans to support business continuity and cyber incident response, including digital forensics and evidence management.

Participation in Learning Activities

This unit is online only.  Lectures will be streamed live *or* may be pre-recorded and uploaded.  The Lectures are not interactive so questions via Zoom may not be answered in real-time.  SGTAs are real-time and SGTAs, iLearn, email and phone call are the mechanism to interact with the Lecturer.

ALL Lecture and SGTA material for the whole 13-week unit is available from Week 00 so that students may read ahead and also be prepared, in advance, for active participation in SGTAs.  The Assignment is available from Week 00 and students are encouraged to participate in the SGTAs to ask any questions regarding any course material.

The Unit Convenor is also the Lecturer, SGTA presenter and marker for all assessment tasks.

Week 1 classes

This unit is delivered online only.  Lectures and SGTA commence in Week 01 and all students are encouraged to participate in the Lectures and SGTA.  The Lectures and SGTAs will be later uploaded to iLearn and will be available via Echo360.

Textbooks and Readings

Each lecture will require the student to read a provided text selected from a range of cyber security frameworks, Standards, textbooks, guides to best practice, blogs and other sources. Readings will be posted on iLearn and must be completed before the tutorial workshop, as the workshops are highly interactive.

A suggested (and highly recommended) textbook for cyber security studies generally is Smith, Richard E., Elementary Information Security, 3rd ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2020.

Relevant international Standards have been purchased by the University Library and placed in Reserve for use by COMP3320/6325 students.

Lectures

The lecture content of this unit will be delivered online only - please check the timetables page for details. There will be approximately two hours of lecture content each week, which students can view at their own pace if they are unable to view live at the scheduled time.

Small Group Teaching Activities (SGTA)

Students should participate in weekly SGTA online; these activities vary between workshops, practical tasks and tutorials.

Cyber security management is, in large part, about communicating threats and risks to business executives and understanding how to achieve the enterprise's goals while dealing with those threats and risks. Students should therefore expect to develop and make use of their speaking skills during the sessions, and their writing skills during post-workshop discussions on iLearn.

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

The unit comprises three modules, with an exam in Week 09 covering the contents of Modules 1 & 2.

Module 1: Governance and Compliance

• Introduction and Overview
• Business and security operations
• Governance, legal and regulatory, frameworks, standards and compliance
• Security architecture, authentication and access control models
• The Human Factor: Policies, culture and communication

Module 2 - Information Risk Management

• Introduction to Information Risk Management
• Threat Intelligence, Qualitative Risk Management
• Estimation, Calibration and Quantitative Risk Management
• Advanced Risk Management

Module 3 - Security Operations

• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning
• The Incident Response Cycle
• Incident Analysis, logs and SIEM, Security Orchestration and Response
• Digital Forensics and Evidence Management, Crisis Management and Crisis Communications